Microbiology Human Food Product Testing

Project Summary for State of Rhode Island PAR-20-105 Laboratory Flexible Funding Model (LFFM) (U19) Application. Discipline A: Microbiology, Track 2: Human Food Product Testing Project Summary The purpose of this project is for the Rhode Island State Health Laboratories (RISHL) to engage in the systematic microbiological analysis of human food products as part of ongoing surveillance sampling conducted in conjunction with our partners in the RIDOH Center for Food Protection (CFP). The RISHL is the ISO/IEC 17025 accredited food regulatory laboratory for the state FDA Manufactured Food Regulatory Program (MFRPS) run by the CFP and as such, provides laboratory support to the state and federal integrated food safety system under the Food Safety Modernization Act. Under the proposed project, the RISHL seeks to enhance existing MFRPS surveillance sampling efforts by conducting a study of at least 200 produce samples (type will vary by seasonal availability) for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) with the ultimate goal of finding and removing adulterated food from commerce and aiding regulatory programs conduct investigations. 1