Increasing the Capability and Capacity of Microbiological and Chemical Testing to Support an Integrated Food Defense and Food Safety System Microbiology Discipline, Food Defense Analytical Track Project Summary / Abstract The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Consumer Protection Laboratory (CPL) proposes to strengthen federal efforts to protect the national food supply and enhance the state's capability and capacity in food defense in support of the Food Emergency Response Network. ODA-CPL seeks to address three different issues during the five-year project period. First, ODA-CPL will perform a matrix extension project on FERN method Yersinia pestis Screening Method (FERN- MIC-.0004.03). The project will validate FDA matrices against this newly revised method which recently had the PCR platform changed to a new manufacturer. In future project years ODA-CPL will continue working on validation projects on FERN methods and as guided by the FDA FERN project office. Second, ODA-CPL shall secure service contracts with vendors to minimize instrument downtime to ensure we are operationally ready in the event of a food emergency. Third, the laboratory will look to purchase new equipment to aid with media preparation. The intent is adding automated equipment that will give the laboratory flexibility to focus our attention on other laboratory activities, such as cross training, testing of samples. The agency proposes to participate in all US FDA initiated food defense activities related to animal or human food, including proficiency tests, surveillance activities, triage exercises, national security event exercises and any other testing as requested by the FDA where suspected or credible threats to the food supply are present. The agency's laboratories will maintain operational readiness in supplies, instrumentation and personnel should the agency laboratories need be deployed for a rapid response with minimum expectations of handling 50 microbiological samples.