2022 AAFCO Laboratory Methods and Services Workshop

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Project Summary 2022 AAFCO Laboratory Methods and Services Workshop PAR 19-306 The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is a voluntary membership association of state and federal agencies charged by law to regulate the sale and distribution of animal feeds and animal drug remedies. In 2020, the AAFCO Hazards and Contaminants sub-committee and the Laboratory Methods and Services Committee (LMSC) sent a survey to State Agriculture regulatory programs to identify hazards and contaminants of concern to animal food regulators. Based on the results of that survey, the AAFCO LMSC sent a Laboratory Capability survey in 2021 to State Agriculture laboratories to assess needs for methodology, training, and resources and to identify gaps on the hazards/contaminants identified by regulatory programs. The LMSC created working groups to address gaps identified to be able to assist State Agriculture testing laboratories to respond to the needs of their State Regulatory program. From this survey, the State Regulatory programs identified that testing for pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were of importance. While methodology for detection and identification of pathogens exists (FDA BAM, AOAC Official Methods), training for detection and isolation of certain pathogens of concern in animal food was identified as a need among several State Agriculture testing laboratories. To address this need and gap identified by the Laboratory Capability survey, the AAFCO LMSC is proposing to hold an in-person 3 ½ day hands-on microbiology workshop. The basic workshop will feature presentations and hands-on laboratory sessions on detection, isolation, and confirmation of bacterial pathogens in animal food. Participants will learn about their role in a public health investigation, what defensible data means, and how to present a defensible data package, laboratory safety, and standard methodology. Participants will have the opportunity to perform microbiological methods for the detection, isolation, and confirmation of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 from a variety of animal food using standard methods such as FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) and AOAC Official Methods. We feel that this training course would allow AAFCO to assist the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Regulatory Affair’s mission to protect consumers and enhance public health by providing training for State animal feed laboratories to promote public health and safety.