Maintenance and Enhancement of Iso/iec 17025 Accreditation and Whole Genome Sequencing For State Food Testing Laboratories

SC-DHEC BOL-ISO SummaryThe South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC-DHEC), Bureau of Laboratories(BOL), serves as the state public health laboratory with a mission of improving the quality of life forSouth Carolinians by protecting and promoting the health of the public and environment. The BOL FoodMicrobiology Laboratory has maintained the ability to test for foodborne pathogens and food qualityindicator organisms for over 35 years and in 2016 achieved ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. During thiscooperative agreement, the Food Microbiology Laboratory will maintain ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation byremaining compliant with requirements set forth by our accrediting body and by maintaining a qualitymanagement system that addresses and conforms to all elements of ISO/IEC 17025 standards byperforming internal audits, management reviews, proficiency testing, and quality system improvements.Our scope of accreditation will be enhanced by the validation of new methods and instrumentation tomaintain and expand our testing capabilities in support of a more comprehensive food surveillancesystem. Through a partnership with the state Manufactured Food Retail Program Standards (MFRPS),the Food Microbiology laboratory will participate in the Sample Collection and Analysis Project bytesting at least 75 samples annually. This partnership strengthens the food safety network locally byencouraging communication and the development of effective processes for food collection and testing.The sharing of data generated through routine surveillance activities in eLEXNET will allow the Food andDrug Administration access to our data for enforcement activities. The fact that this data will begenerated in an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory will streamline analytical review and allow the FDAto rapidly respond and enforce regulatory compliance. The overall goal of this project is the support anddevelopment at the national level of an integrated food safety system.