Promoting a Nationally Integrated Food Safety System in Tennessee by Achieving and Maintaining ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Laboratory Accreditation

The CIS Technical Serves Laboratory (TSL) functions as the primary regulatory food testing laboratory in Tennessee and would be the focus of this project. TSL provides food testing services for the Food Safety Section, which includes both Manufactured and Retail Food Safety Programs. The two primary sections that service the food regulatory programs are the Food Microbiology Section and the Residue Section (Food and Environmental) and these are the two sections under the scope of this project. The specific aims for the TSL through this Cooperative Agreement Program (CAP) are to better protect public health by strengthening the CIS program in three critical areas. First, an Assistant Quality Assurance Manager and a Level II Chemist position will be added to the existing work force to ensure adequate staffing is available to accomplish project goals and fully participate in CAP activities. A project manager position will also be added to coordinate with TSL staff; making sure progress goals are achieved, reporting deadlines are met, and organizing on-site visits, conference calls, and audits. Second, TSL will seek ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation through an approved accrediting body to ensure that accurate, reliable, and defensible test data are consistently available and build confidence in the analytical capacities of this laboratory for collaborating agencies. Finally, the TSL intends to expand the scope of its analytical capabilities by leveraging funding to acquire new equipment and achieve accreditation for additional testing methods. The end result will better equip TSL to participate in cooperative efforts at both local and national levels to proactively reduce food safety risks to public health, and better respond to outbreaks or hazards when they do occur.