Enhancing Food Testing Capabilities at the WVDA through Discipline A: Microbiology Analytical Track 2: Human Food Product Testing

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Project Abstract for Discipline A, Analytical Track 2: Human Food Product Testing Food surveillance testing is an integral part of protecting consumers and the nation’s food supply. In order to detect and remove contaminated food from the supply chain, it is important for agricultural agencies to be able to quickly and accurately test for a wide variety of pathogens. The West Virginia Department of Agriculture serves as the primary regulatory agency for human food product testing and is also the primary regulatory agency for the testing of manufactured foods (MFRPS) in WV. The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) has 18 biological methods ISO 17025 that are accredited. ISO 17025 accreditation supports a strong management and technical structure in the laboratory. Accreditation has enhanced the laboratory in being recognized as an officially competent food testing laboratory with defensible results. Surveillance analysis is conducted on FDA products using the ISO 17025 accredited methods. Any methods used for surveillance activities will follow ISO 17025 guidelines including proficiency testing and method validations. The WVDA food laboratory has maintained a sampling agreement with the State Manufactured Food Regulatory Program since 2014 to perform routine surveillance, testing for specific pathogens including E.coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. The WVDA will perform surveillance testing throughout the year on various commodity and pathogen pairs that are under the scope of accreditation. The WVDA has been an active member of the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) since 2005, and a recipient of the FERN USDA FSIS Cooperative Agreement Program since 2010. The laboratory completed method development, method validations, and surveillance activities for FERN. Since 2013, the laboratory completed surveillance activities for the AFRPS ISO 17025 Cooperative Agreement Program. The WVDA will provide training and mentorship to other state laboratories as requested by the FDA. Several laboratory staff have been involved in FERN trainings and analysts from the WVDA have provided training at USDA and FDA sites related to FERN trainings. The WVDA has demonstrated that with the structure and experience of personnel, the facility, ISO accreditation, research projects, method developments, and on-going surveillance projects that it is committed to completing the objectives of this track. This project will enhance the human food surveillance capability and capacity of the WVDA and help support an integrated food safety system by strengthening cooperation with the FDA.