Human and Animal Food Testing

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​APHL supports and enhances the capabilities of state human and animal food (HAF) testing laboratories that engage in surveillance and response activities associated with foodborne hazards, including foodborne outbreak investigations. APHL works closely with laboratories that test human and animal food for microbiological, chemical and radiochemical contamination. This effort has been supported since 2012 with cooperative agreements from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advance the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the creation of a national Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS). 

The agreements have supported HAF laboratories seeking to achieve or enhance ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, as well as strengthen testing capacity and capability in these laboratories, with an overall goal of supporting mutual reliance between state and federal partners. ​

Current Work Objectives:

• Building a competent human and animal food laboratory workforce by developing and delivering trainings, workshops, and other educational resources in support of the FDA Regulatory and Laboratory Training System.
  
• Planning and hosting conferences and meetings related to the Laboratory Flexible Funding Model (LFFM) disciplines and the GenomeTrakr network
• Providing direct technical assistance to non-FDA funded human and animal food testing laboratories working towards achieving ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation
• Enhancing and maximizing human and animal food laboratory participation in the GenomeTrakr network and other networks relevant to LFFM tracks
• Developing resources that promote quality assurance and mutual reliance between strategic partners
• Documenting harmonization efforts between PulseNet and Genome Trakr activities
• Support the development of the Food Safety Data Exchange (FSDX)
  

Accomplishments to date: