In response to the FDA's Laboratory Flexible Funding Model program announcement, the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory (MSCL) has submitted a robust proposal titled ?Enhancement of Mississippi's Capabilities in Integrated Food Safety Partnerships.? This plan encompasses six projects: ? Discipline B: Chemistry, Analytical Track 1. Food Defense (Years 1-5) ? Discipline B: Chemistry, Analytical Track 2. Human Food Product Testing (Years 1-5) ? Discipline B: Chemistry, Analytical Track 3. Animal Food Product Testing (Years 1-5) ? Discipline D: Special Projects 1. Sample Collection (Years 1-5) ? Discipline D: Special Projects 2. NFSDX and ORAPP Integration (Year 1 only) ? Discipline D: Special Projects 3. Method Development/Validation (Year 2 only) With all of these projects, effective overall administration of the agreement is vital to its success. In the case of the MSCL, Project Director Dr. Darrell Sparks will centrally coordinate all activities and be the point of contact for the FDA. Dr. Ashli Brown (Co-Investigator and State Chemist) will ensure that yearly samples are obtained from our regulatory authority partners, the Mississippi Department of Health and the Bureau of Plant Industry branch of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. The MSCL's Quality Assurance Manager (Mrs. Dongping Jiang) and Officer (Mrs. Monica Haque) will be provide secondary data review, lead internal audits on project test methods, and administer proficiency tests. This administrative core group of personnel have effectively worked together on previous internal and external projects and are quite capable of meeting the overall agreement objectives.
