Food Emergency Response Network (FERN)
Overview
Montana is concerned about protecting the safety of its food supply, and plans to continue to improve laboratory testing capability and surveillance to detect early cases of food borne illness, either intentional or unintentional. Food safety testing has suffered in Montana in the past from both a lack of resources and funding priority. Now, thanks to the FSIS grant, a fledgling program has been established. We are currently performing retail meat regulatory testing for the Montana Department of Livestock testing for Salmonella spp., E. coli O157 and Listeria spp. This testing allows us to continually perform food testing to maintain proficiency. The FSIS FERN grant allowed us to train and develop staff proficiency, maintain routine competency and respond to outbreaks.
FERN is a coordinated initiative between the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to develop an integrated laboratory network capable of responding to national emergencies. Laboratories participating in FERN at the Federal, State and local level, are responsible for detecting and identifying biological, chemical and radiological agents in food. The FSIS FERN Cooperative Agreements will support integration of data at federal, state, and local levels to augment the food defense capability of the FERN. While individual projects will vary, the combined result will enhance network laboratory surge capacity and detection capabilities for microbiological public health hazards in food. These efforts support the FSIS mission priority for Food Defense.
MTPHL is a registered as a FERN laboratory, and a participant in eLEXNET. MTPHL participates in FERN proficiency testing and continues to perform the routine bacteriology FDA administered Food Proficiency panel each June.
http://www.crcpd.org/Homeland_Security/Food_Emergency_Response_Network.pdf
