Fda Fern Cooperative Agreement Continuation Program (u18)

The Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) serves the Commonwealth of Virginiaas the State Laboratory providing analytical testing in support of foodborne disease surveillanceoutbreak response and large-scale food emergency testing in coordination with State analyticalrequirements. DCLS will continue to use both State and FERN FDA Cooperative Agreementfunding to strengthen and improve capability and capacity to rapidly and accurately identifymicrobiological and chemical contaminants in food. Over the past five years, FDA FERNfunding has enabled DCLS to participate in all offered surveillance assignments, proficiencytests, method evaluation studies, and to exercise the use of federal standardized analyticalworksheets and electronic result reporting in collaboration with FERN. Continued support forpersonnel, equipment and reagents is necessary for DCLS to continue full participation andsupport of these initiatives and to continue to strengthen Virginia's food testing program. Thisproposal identifies critical resources necessary for DCLS to maintain and strengthen currentcapabilities and capacities to rapidly and accurately respond to issues of food safety and fooddefense.Scientific personnel supported through FDA FERN Cooperative Agreement funding haveinvested hundreds of hours in training, competency assessments and establishing proficienciesin FDA and FERN standardized methods and instrumentation. Additionally, instrumentation hasbeen maintained and supplies stocked in order to assure a ready state of preparedness. With2015-2016 funding, DCLS proposes to continue to support the salaries of three FERN FDAMicrobiologists and three Chemists dedicated to FERN laboratory testing initiatives and tosupport emergency outbreak and surge testing needs. DCLS agrees to actively participate in alloffered surveillance assignments, proficiency testing exercises and special projects as offeredby the FERN NPO. DCLS will continue to collaborate with FDA subject matter experts toevaluate novel analytical methodologies to support and expand existing FERN methods in orderto improve sensitivity and specificity of pathogen and chemical detection. In the event of a foodemergency, DCLS commits to assisting the FERN Network by performing selectedmicrobiological and chemical analyses of domestic and imported food samples collected andsupplied by the FDA or as directed trough FERN. DCLS will provide all data for potentialregulatory action to FERN NPO as instructed using FDA standardized worksheets and reportingmethods.