PAR-20-105: Discipline A - Microbiology - Track 2: Human Food Product Testing Project Summary The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Food Safety and Consumer Services (FS&CS) Laboratory is the State?s Primary Regulatory Human Food Safety Laboratory. The WSDA FS&CS Laboratory seeks five years of funding through the FDA Laboratory Flexible Funding Model (LFFM) Cooperative Agreement Program?s Discipline A Microbiology Track 2 to enhance the capacity and capabilities of state human food testing laboratory in support of an integrated food safety system. ? The FS&CS Laboratory has all the required technical expertise in testing and sampling under this analytical track; conducts an average of 20,000 individual tests on over 8,000 food, feed, environmental and dairy samples under our state directed food safety program. ? Is eligible to apply for this cooperative agreement program since we have received funding under the FDA FERN MCAP. The Laboratory has proven itself a successful partner under this cooperative agreement from 2010. Our FERN team has contributed 3,600+ samples in 2-year) among all 14 FERN MCAP labs through our self-sampling & testing program. ? Has a long-standing collaboration with WSDA Food Safety Program?s samplers. These samplers have demonstrated competence in aseptic sampling techniques and adherence to the strict sampling guidelines of FDA. Eight lab personnel have been trained in sampling. ? Provides testing support under WSDA?s FDA-funded Rapid Response Team Cooperative Agreement and has responded to multiple Washington State animal food poisoning and labeling cases: Salmonella from Trader Joe?s Peanut Butter, environmental samples from a custom meat slaughtering facility, and Listeria monocytogenes found in Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream to name a few past incidents. FDA-FERN MCAP was instrumental in support of these efforts. ? Has the necessary facilities and equipment to continuously to support the additional work associated with this project. ? Is located in a strategic geographic area of the United States. Washington State is home to several major international shipping ports, through which nearly $16 billion in food and agricultural products were exported in 2018. ? Has been accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 since 2011. If our Track 2 proposal is accepted, we are willing and able to do the following: 1. Participate in human food samples collection and analysis (500+) 2. Provide analytical data for potential regulatory utilization Washington State Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Consumer Services Laboratory
