Food Defense and Surveillance in Support of the FDA by the State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa

RFA-FD-25-007 Application | Overall Project Summary/Abstact The assurance of food safety that has been developed and sustained within the State Hygienic Laboratory (SHL) at the University of Iowa is a high-quality, performance-based effort that enhances public health, protects consumers and promotes preparedness. The SHL, in conjunction with its partner Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) agency, the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), comprise a proactive regulatory, response and surveillance team. This team effort minimizes risks in food consumption for the public through efficient and effective sample collection, analysis and results reporting to support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration goal of an integrated food safety system. The culture of food safety at SHL is multidisciplinary, fully engaged at all levels and well-staffed with subject matter experts. The State Hygienic Laboratory has been engaged in maintaining quality systems in the laboratory in compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 since September 2013. SHL has maintained AIHA Laboratory Accreditation in both the Coralville and Ankeny lab locations, specifically for the food scope by providing the resources - including systems, equipment, and personnel - to ensure adherence to rigorous QA/QC protocols and appropriate accrediting authority/agency standards. Over the past nearly five years DIAL has been an active partner, collecting 75 samples per year in support of FDA LFFM Microbiological Human Food Testing, meeting the goal set each year of the previous award. The SHL is, and has been, an active and experienced participant in the FDA LFFM and the USDA FSIS FERN Cooperative Agreement Programs, providing laboratory testing for chemical, microbiological, and radiological contaminants in various food matrices for routine contaminants and threat agents. The State Hygienic laboratory has develop a series of projects within this proposal to meet the following aims: 1) Ensure laboratory capacity for the analysis of foods and food products related to chemical, microbiological, and radiological contamination that occurs as intentional, accidental or unknowing; 2) Strengthen and enhance preparedness of the state public health laboratory to provide organized, timely and efficient response in urgent and emergency situations/outbreaks; and 3)enhance currently validated analytical methods and strive to validate/verify additional methods to accomplish program growth. SHL has the expertise, facilities, and resources to execute the projects fully and hopes to continue as a valuable member of the FDA LFFM Cooperative Agreement Program for many years to come.