On-Site Laboratory Review of Food Chemistry Accredited Laboratories for USDA Accredited Laboratory Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), is responsible for the inspection of meat and poultry products to assure they are safe, wholesome, unadulterated, and properly label in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations. To assure compliance with departmental regulations under Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S. C. 451 et seq.), laboratory analyses are periodically conducted on samples of meat and poultry products to determine the presence of food additives, environmental contaminants, veterinary drug residues, microbial toxins and pathogenic bacteria, and identify economically fraudulent products. As the demands on the FSIS laboratories increased over the years, it became clear that action was required to maintain the quality and expeditious handling of official samples. On November 7, 1980, the FSIS published a proposed rule in the FEDERAL REGISTER (45 FR 73947) to amend the Federal meat and poultry products inspection regulations. FSIS proposed: 1) To establish standards for the analytical chemical procedures to be performed on official meat and poultry samples by non-Federal chemistry laboratories. 2) To consolidate standards and procedures previously established under the Certified Laboratory Program and the Recognized Laboratory Program. The final rule amending 9 CFR Parts 318 and 381 was published on January 20, 1987 (52 FR 2176). The result of the rule was the establishment of the Accredited Laboratory Program (ALP). A 1991 amendment to the 1990 Farm Bill required user fees for FSIS Laboratory accreditation. The final rule amending 9 CFR Parts 318, 381 and 391 for the revised user fee Accredited Laboratory Program was published on December 13, 1993 (58 FR 65254). Under the Accredited Laboratory Program (ALP), FSIS accredits and provides administrative program management over participating private and State laboratories that test meat and poultry products for: Food Chemistry (moisture, protein, fat, and salt (MPFS)); and Residue Chemistry (chlorinated hydrocarbons; polychlorinated biphenyls; arsenic; sulfonamides; and nitrosamines) for which a check sample program for quality assurance is conducted. Currently, there are approximately 80 accredited laboratories in the program. In 1999, an audit by USDA's Office of the Inspector General cited a deficiency in the number of on-site reviews made to accredited laboratories (sixteen (16) laboratories were reviewed in FY97 and five (5) in FY99). This was due to significant staffing shortage in the program. The procurement of this contract will help FSIS fulfill its obligation to conduct on-site reviews of its accredited laboratories.