Enhancing State Food Microbiology and Chemistry Testing Laboratories Capacity and Capabilities In Support of the Integrated Food Safety System

Project Summary for State of Rhode Island PAR-20-105 Laboratory Flexible Funding Model
(LFFM) (U19) Application: Overall
Project Summary
Through the next five years of participating in the LFFM, the Rhode Island State Health
Laboratories (RISHL) will maintain and expand the current food microbiology and chemistry
testing capabilities of the state’s food testing laboratories. RISHL will interactively support
the integrated food safety system with the goal of providing an increased variety of testing
services in response to threats to the integrated food safety system and national food supply.
To accomplish this, the RISHL will administer, manage and coordinate the Analytical
Projects under three disciplines of the Laboratory Flexible Funding Model (LFFM),
Microbiology, Chemistry and Special Projects by leveraging its food laboratories’
organizational and quality management systems. RISHL’s Chief Environmental Laboratory
Scientist and Chief Biological Laboratory Scientist will serve as principal and co-principal
investigators. Together along with RISHL’s microbiology and chemistry Quality Assurance
Officers, database administrator (to be hired) and its strong team of food laboratory
scientists, RISHL will exercise its systems to fulfill the requirements of these multi-faceted
disciplines. Under the LFFM Special Project, RISHL will work closely with the FDA
NFSDX and ORAPP teams to develop its data exchange capabilities to improve the
submission and availability of food sample collection and testing data to the FDA and
network of state food safety surveillance and defense programs.
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