Maintenance and Enhancement of The Scope of Iso/iec 17025 Accreditation For The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Food Laboratories

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of FoodSafety, Bureau of Food Laboratories achieved accreditation in 2007, and maintains A2LAaccreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for the specific tests listed in A2LA certificates 2534.01and 2534.02 (available at www.A2LA.org). The Division of Food Safety is responsible forassuring the public of a safe, wholesome and properly represented food supply throughpermitting and inspection of food establishments, inspection of food products, and performanceof specialized laboratory analyses on a variety of food products sold or produced in the State.The Division monitors food from farm gate through processing and distribution to the retail pointof purchase.The Division is charged with administration and enforcement of the food and poultry and egglaws, and also provides support in the enforcement of other food safety laws. In addition toregulatory surveillance and enforcement, the Division evaluates consumer complaints related tofood. The Division has the responsibility for carrying out its duties or support functions asdirected by the following Florida Statutes Chapters: 500, 501, 502, 503, 531, 583, 586, and 601.As the primary regulatory food testing laboratory for Florida the FDACS Food Laborartorieswork with our Department's Bureau of Food Inspection to conduct microbiological and chemicalfood analyses on behalf of the state?s manufactured food regulatory programs (MFRPS).These analyses are conducted within the scope of our ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. TheFDACS Bureau of Food Laboratories is applying for the cooperative agreement titled: ISO/IEC17025:2005 Maintenance and Enhancement of ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation for State FoodTesting Laboratories, announcement number RFA-FD-17- 010, with anticipation of funding from2017 through 2019 for maintaining accreditation and performing enhancements to theaccredited laboratory system. The Food Laboratories has actively participated in the projecttitled 'Maintaining and Enhancing Accredtiation at the Florida Bureau of Food Laboratories'under current grant number 5U18FD004474-05 continuosly since 2012.The FDACS Bureau of Food Laboratories is willing and able to participate in this opportunity,and is fully committed, to increase the analytical capacity of our nation's food testing regulatorylaboratory under accreditation, increase our ability to share laboratory results to promote earlieridentification and regulatory response to adulterants in the food supply, advancement of anationally integrated food safety system, and thereby enhance efforts to protect the foodsupply and work toward ensuring the public's health. FDACS Food Laboratories are activeparticipants in the FERN programs and are currently one of the FDA FERN CAP laboratoriesunder grant number 1U18FD005506.