Kansas Department of Agriculture Laboratory's Implementation of a Laboratory Flexible Funding Model

Kansas State Department Of Agriculture, Topeka KS

Investigators

Abstract

Kansas Department of Agriculture – Project Summary/Abstract The Kansas Department of Agriculture Laboratory (KDAL) aims to help create a national, fully integrated food safety system by expanding our testing capabilities in both Microbiology and Chemistry disciplines. Additionally, the KDAL strives to increase sample throughput in both human and animal product testing to grow food safety surveillance across the state. Participation in capacity development will expand the resources available at the KDAL to accomplish the goals outlined in this cooperative agreement. The KDAL serves as the primary servicing laboratory for the Food Safety and Lodging (FSL) and Dairy and Feed Safety (DFS) programs who have jurisdiction over human and animal food products manufactured in the state of Kansas. Both the FSL and DFS programs will collect all human and animal food products that will be analyzed under this cooperative agreement. The collaboration between the state regulatory programs and the laboratory will play an integral role in achieving an integrated national food safety system. The KDAL is dedicated to producing the highest quality testing results and seeks to identify ways for continual improvement. All employees of the KDAL are familiar with the quality documentation and are responsible for implementing quality policies and procedures. Continued laboratory accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 will allow for a complete quality system to ensure defensible analytical results are put forth. The accreditation attests to the competency and technical capabilities of the KDAL to perform certain tasks and supports traceability of data generated.