Microbiology Tract 1 – Food Defense Narrative The Arizona Department of Health Services Laboratory (ASPHL) Microbiology program will continue to engage in food defense microbiology analysis by maintaining competency in FDA Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) analytical methods in support of an integrated food safety system. The ASPHL Microbiology Program will ensure laboratory surge capacity for the analysis of foods and food products related to microbiological contamination, through intentional means, and enhance the network capacity and readiness of state BSL2+ and BSL3 laboratories and strengthen the collaboration of surveillance testing activities between Arizona and FDA so as to continue building a nationally integrated laboratory science system.