Contributing a comprehensive and integrated food protection laboratory hub from Maryland

OVERALL PROJECT SUMMARY:
Serious foodborne illness resulting from contaminated food is a persistent and largely preventable public
health problem that receives national attention every year. Dramatic advances in technology have placed
large-scale systematic food surveillance testing on the verge of transforming national strategy from
outbreak management to informed prevention. Realizing this revolutionary milestone depends on
implementing and integrating sensitive, precise, and high-throughput scientific methods, sophisticated
instrumentation, and unprecedented information connectivity. The overarching aim of this proposal is to
contribute a comprehensive and integrated food protection laboratory hub from the state of
Maryland that is capable of analyzing food across many diverse threat priorities to the national Food
Emergency Response Network. Extensive food testing capabilities across microbiology, chemistry, and
radiochemistry disciplines are all housed within a single and unified Division of Environmental Sciences
of the MDH Laboratories Administration. The current 14-track multifaceted proposal seeks to integrate
and strengthen the Laboratory’s ISO/IEC 17025:2017-accredited methods, cutting-edge instrumentation,
and expanded food surveillance testing activities across all disciplines with the goal of protecting the
nation’s food supply. Moreover, with a steadfast commitment to constant improvement, the Laboratory
further strives to implement the newest testing methods, expand capacity of key capabilities, and
participate in developmental activities with state and national partners. Finally, the proposal places a high
priority on offering young scientists opportunities to join public health service. The outcome of this
extensive and integrated plan should provide meaningful large-scale surveillance data to regulatory
partners, and define underlying food safety vulnerabilities to inform national protective strategies of the
future.