FDA FERN Cooperative Agreement Continuation Program (U18)

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract The objective of this program is to provide increased analytical capacity and expertise to support federal laboratories in the event of a large-scale food emergency. This is accomplished by: (1) Cooperating laboratories hiring and training staff to perform specialized food safety testing, (2) Developing proficiency in the use of standardized food safety testing procedures and the use of standardized instrument platforms used in the testing, and (3) The electronic reporting of testing results to a central data system. In addition to assisting federal laboratories test samples in the event of an actual food emergency, cooperating laboratories assist with the development and validation of food testing procedures and the extension of existing food testing procedures to new food commodities.