# Microbiology DisciplineAnimal Food Product Testing

> **NIH FDA U19** · GEORGIA STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE · 2020 · $170,000

## Abstract

Project Title: Microbiology – Animal Food Testing 
 Project Summary / Abstract 
The Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) has established a uniform 
foundation for management of state programs responsible for the regulation of facilities, 
including laboratory analysis, for chemical and microbiological contaminants. The Georgia 
Department of Agriculture (GDA) participated in a 2011 Improvement Plan followed by a five- 
year cooperative agreement to obtain ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation. This project was later 
supported by a two-year Accreditation Maintenance and Enhancement grant and an additional 
year to expand upon accreditation in order to support the regulatory agency’s primary servicing 
lab. GDA laboratories achieved, enhanced, and maintained accreditation which assists their 
regulatory agencies in compliance requirements for contractual work on behalf of FDA. 
 In order for GDA laboratories to maintain their accreditation and support the regulatory agency 
as their primary laboratory, continuous support is needed to offset the added expense required 
for Quality Assurance activities as well as the ongoing upkeep of critical analytical equipment. 
For state partners to accept added responsibility for Global Food Safety initiatives continued 
support and enhancement will be necessary for the primary servicing labs to maintain analytical 
capability for meeting these goals. To achieve these goals the laboratory will rely upon 
established relationships with our regulatory agency and their agreement to collect and analyze 
samples under the MFRPS and AFRPS agreements for possible regulatory enforcement. GDA 
has already developed and demonstrated successful relationships with their regulatory partners 
and ability to fulfill this objective. Signed agreements have been previously forged to collect and 
analyzed samples for contaminants using state inspectors and robust sampling plans. These 
results will be submitted in a national database repository and violative adulterations will be 
subject to appropriate regulatory action. This grant will allow GDA laboratories to maintain 
accreditation to international standards, protect the public by collecting and analyzing samples 
for contaminants, and to cumulatively contribute to an integrated national food safety system.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10175656
- **Project number:** 1U19FD007112-01
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGIA STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
- **Principal Investigator:** Joseph Dana Shell
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $170,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10175656

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10175656, Microbiology DisciplineAnimal Food Product Testing (1U19FD007112-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10175656. Licensed CC0.

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