Georgia Department of Agriculture - Laboratory AccreditationProject Summary / AbstractThe Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) establish a uniformfoundation for the design and management of state programs responsible for the regulation ofmanufactured food facilities, including laboratory analysis for chemical and microbiologicalcontaminants. Based on the Georgia Department of Agriculture 2011 Improvement PlanReport, needs were determined and established for the cooperative agreement applicationfunding which include: ' Fund and fill staff vacancies associated with key quality assurance personnel. ' Work toward laboratory accreditation (ISO/IEC 17025.2005). ' Develop, update, or revise quality assurance manuals in needed lab sections. ' Develop documentation system for lab personnel competencies by trainings, qualifications, or certifications.The funds necessary to achieve these goals will be used to accomplish and dedicateinfrastructure in order to strengthen the food protection mandate under the Food SafetyModernization Act. This integrated conformance will help develop and better direct state andfederal activities using a risk-based approach model. State laboratory accreditation to ISO17025 standards will assist in completion of Standard Ten of the MFRPS, thus positioning FDAability to utilize analytical work done by state labs toward support of an integrated national foodsafety system.
Georgia Department of Agriculture - Lab Accreditation Project Narrative Georgia will continue to strive toward full conformance with the MFRPS by building capacity in an integrated food safety program consisting of combined contributions from state, local, and federal collaborators. This project will focus on ensuring that equivalent quality assurance systems are in place at the primary chemical and microbiological servicing laboratories through non-partial, internationally recognized, accrediting bodies. This grant will be used to achieve, maintain, and enhance laboratory accreditation in the GDA laboratories to the ISO/IEC 17025.2005 standards.
