Leveraging Unique Capabilities and Capacities for Chemical Analyses of Diverse Food and Feed Matrices in Support of an Integrated Food Safety System

Overall
Project Summary
The California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS) is California’s state veterinary
diagnostic laboratory, responsible for assuring the health of the state’s agricultural animals and safety of
foods of animal origin. The CAHFS Toxicology Section occupies a unique position as a highly experienced
and well-equipped veterinary toxicology laboratory and is a natural fit as a partner to the FDA in
furthering their mission of protecting food and animal feed in the U.S. from unsafe chemical
contamination.
CAHFS proposes to assist the agency through participation in several key activities as outlined in the
FOA. First, the CAHFS Toxicology Section will provide significant surge capacity to the agency in the
event of an emergency incident involving intentional or accidental chemical contamination of human
food or animal feed. The Section’s past performance in addressing food-related emergencies
demonstrates its usefulness in these situations.
Where new analytical capabilities and capacity are needed, the Toxicology Section will develop new
methods, participate in multi-lab method validations, evaluate new analytical platforms, and endeavor
to address emerging food and feed safety issues with creativity and tenacity as requested. These
activities are critical in helping the agency address new chemicals of concern and in adopting more
sensitive and selective detection capabilities. Evaluation of new analytical platforms assists the agency in
identifying more efficient methods of analysis, allowing for expanded analytical capacity.
Additionally, CAHFS will perform surveillance analysis of livestock feeds produced in California. CAHFS is
seeking funding for both sampling and analysis. The Toxicology Section will work in partnership with the
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), which is the state agency in charge of regulating
animal feed. CDFA will provide samples taken as per FDA specifications to the laboratory for analysis.
Test results involving samples which do not meet regulatory requirements will be reported to both the
FDA and to CDFA. CAHFS understands that this funding opportunity involves a great deal of cooperation
with CDFA regulators as they become partners in providing samples. By building this type of cooperation
and testing these samples, the Section will be able to assist the agency in quickly identifying emerging
contamination issues, preventing exposures to contaminated food or feed, ultimately preventing injury
to human and animal health.