NY AGM Food Laboratory - Project Summary/Abstract: The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NY AGM) has an expansive and robust food safety inspection program and a regulatory food safety testing laboratory. The Food Laboratory, a division within the NY AGM, has a mission to provide expert state of the art analytical testing in support of food safety programs in New York State. The Food Laboratory, through food testing, provides support to the divisions of Food Safety and Inspection and Milk Control and Dairy Services. It is the primary servicing laboratory for the New York manufactured food regulatory program and is accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard and AOAC ALACC criteria. The Food Laboratory has comprehensive testing programs for microbiological and chemical contamination in food and beverages. If funded for the Laboratory Flexible Funding Model, the Food Laboratory will maintain resources and personnel necessary to cover testing of more than 2,000 samples according to the Food Laboratory Sampling Plans. The laboratory will maintain a quality management system compliant with the managerial and technical requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 and continue to be accredited by a recognized accreditation body. It will participate in proficiency testing or competency exercises on an annual basis to maintain analyst competency. If funded, the Food Laboratory will use a management system software to track quality activities such as method development, method validation, and matrix extension research. This system will also track analyst performance in proficiency testing, any participation in trainings related to food testing, and if the most up-to-date method is being used in the laboratory. After laboratory report is released, Quality Assurance staff will be responsible for compiling spreadsheets and testing raw data for full laboratory packages of any violative sample. Additionally, the PD/PI will create a management team to assist on collecting metrics of each projects quarterly and keep the PD/PI informed of status of project deliverables and financial expenditure. The Food Laboratory management team will work towards managing projects that will support the integrated food safety system by coordinating sampling, testing and sharing laboratory results with the FDA when considering enforcement actions for surveillance and regulatory purposes.