Texas Food Defense and Animal Food Product Testing for Microbiological; Chemical and Radiological Hazards; Genome Sequencing; and Special Project Tracks

AbstractTexas Food Defense and Animal Food Product Testing for Microbiological, Chemical andRadiological Hazards, Genome Sequencing, and Special Project TracksThe Office of the Texas State Chemist (OTSC) is comprised of the state agency authorized toregulate animal food (Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Service (FFCS) and an ISO 17025:2017accredited laboratory (Agricultural Analytical Service (AAS)), which analyzes regulatorysamples for FFCS, the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department ofAgriculture. OTSC provides regulatory oversight for 5000 firms that manufacture feed withlocations in Texas, the United States (US) and abroad and distribution of 23 million tons of feedin Texas. OTSC serves a large animal population including approximately 900,000 dairy cows, 5million cattle on feed, 12.6 million cows and calves, 21 million layers, and 115 million broilersalong with 12 million dogs and cats, 500,000 equids, and 1.5 million sheep and goats. AASlaboratory personnel include 12 analysts, four laboratory attendants, three PhD researchscientists/lead chemists, one laboratory quality manager and one laboratory associate director.The laboratory is organized into four teams that specialize in microbiology,chromatography/mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and radiochemistry. FFCS regulatorypersonnel include 14 field investigators, a manager of accounting, operations manager forregistration and labeling, an associate director of compliance and an associate director of fieldoperations. In this project. OTSC will strengthen food defense capability in the areas ofmicrobiology, chemistry, and radiochemistry; expand surveillance of microbiological andchemical hazards, expand involvement in whole genome sequencing, develop and validate newmethods and participate in all laboratory flexible funding model program activities and meetreporting requirements. As an outcome of this project, OTSC will expanded capacity andcapabilities of the Texas animal food testing laboratory in support of an integrated food safetysystem in the disciplines of microbiology, chemistry and radiochemistry in food defense, animalfood microbiological and chemical product testing, whole genome sequencing,capability/capacity development, and special project tracks