PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) system, within the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), is comprised of four laboratories dedicated to veterinary diagnostics. The CAHFS system is uniquely qualified to assist with the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation Response Network (Vet-LIRN) mission. Microbial testing of clinical samples and food matricies is an integral part of our core mission. The large CAHFS system has built in redundancy. All four locations have bacterial testing capabilities. Thus, CAHFS provides surge capacity that could benefit FDA and Vet-LIRN in meeting microbiological testing needs and assisting with a coordinated response to an animal food or product emergency event. As an accredited member of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD), CAHFS adheres to rigorous standards and maintains strict oversight of all standard operating procedures to ensure results are accurate, repeatable, and consistent. FDA protocols published in the Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) are followed for food pathogen testing including the Vet-LIRN samples. Incorporation of new food matrices or introduction of new instrumentation are qualified first by established validation and verification procedures described in AAVLD and FDA guidelines. Lastly, one of the benefits provided by collaborating with a full-service veterinary diagnostic facility such as CAHFS is the broad range of expertise present within the system. We have faculty with a vast breadth of expertise in infectious diseases, zoonotic infections and food safety diagnostics and interventions. Our infrastructure (both CAHFS and SVM) is available to provide diagnostic support for Vet-LIRN submissions. All of these competencies align with the Vet-LIRN mission of expanding the FDA response to animal food/drug adulteration or contamination. CAHFS participation in this current cooperative agreement will allow the laboratory to maintain its readiness to respond to Vet-LIRN needs.