2022 AAFCO Laboratory Methods and Services Workshop - Project Summary
2022 AAFCO Laboratory Methods and Services Workshop
PAR 19-306
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is a voluntary membership
association of state and federal agencies charged by law to regulate the sale and distribution of
animal feeds and animal drug remedies.
In 2020, the AAFCO Hazards and Contaminants sub-committee and the Laboratory
Methods and Services Committee (LMSC) sent a survey to State Agriculture regulatory
programs to identify hazards and contaminants of concern to animal food regulators. Based on
the results of that survey, the AAFCO LMSC sent a Laboratory Capability survey in 2021 to
State Agriculture laboratories to assess needs for methodology, training, and resources and to
identify gaps on the hazards/contaminants identified by regulatory programs.
The LMSC created working groups to address gaps identified to be able to assist State
Agriculture testing laboratories to respond to the needs of their State Regulatory program. From
this survey, the State Regulatory programs identified that testing for pathogens such as
Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were of importance. While
methodology for detection and identification of pathogens exists (FDA BAM, AOAC Official
Methods), training for detection and isolation of certain pathogens of concern in animal food was
identified as a need among several State Agriculture testing laboratories.
To address this need and gap identified by the Laboratory Capability survey, the AAFCO
LMSC is proposing to hold an in-person 3 ½ day hands-on microbiology workshop. The basic
workshop will feature presentations and hands-on laboratory sessions on detection, isolation,
and confirmation of bacterial pathogens in animal food. Participants will learn about their role in
a public health investigation, what defensible data means, and how to present a defensible data
package, laboratory safety, and standard methodology. Participants will have the opportunity to
perform microbiological methods for the detection, isolation, and confirmation of Salmonella,
Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 from a variety of animal food using
standard methods such as FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) and AOAC Official
Methods.
We feel that this training course would allow AAFCO to assist the Food and Drug
Administration, Office of Regulatory Affair’s mission to protect consumers and enhance public
health by providing training for State animal feed laboratories to promote public health and
safety.
