Project Summary Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens in Kansas as a Part of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System As a key activity in combating bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) since 1996 monitors AMR in foodborne pathogens and indicator bacterial species in food-animals at the time of their processing; in red meat, poultry, and since 2020 also in seafood products sold to the general public in retail; and in human foodborne infections. The program monitoring AMR in retail food is led and managed by the Food and Drug Administration – Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM). The food sample collection and microbiologic analysis are performed by the program sites in individual states. The site in Kansas was established in 2016, and the site-team has performed the NARMS Retail Food Surveillance programmatic activities of collecting and subjecting to microbiologic analysis samples of food retailed in Kansas. One of the major innovations in the program in recent years has been addition of whole genome sequencing and annotation of the bacterial isolates obtained from retail food samples. This new project will enable the Kansas site-team to continue the prior programmatic activities in Kansas, with the addition of a routine whole genome sequencing and annotation of bacterial isolates obtained from food samples collected in retail stores in Kansas. The bacterial isolates, and their epidemiologic and genomic data will be shared with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The Department will use these surveillance data and materials to advance public health in the state and inform program and policy development. The results will be also used to educate about and raise public awareness of AMR. The isolates, and their epidemiologic and genomic data will be delivered to the NARMS Retail Food Surveillance program on the required schedule. The program team will use these data and materials to enhance AMR surveillance and foodborne outbreak analysis, and enable program and policy development at the national level. Therefore, this project will strengthen AMR surveillance and analysis, support foodborne outbreak investigation, inform antimicrobial drug stewardship, and promote public health in Kansas and nation-wide.