In September, the FDA provided Congress with its mandated report on the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN). The FDA said FERN will help it adhere to lab-related specifications in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). FERN unites US federal, state and local food-testing labs into a network able to handle food contamination emergencies. FERN manages the implementation of investigation and identification technologies and facilitates the exchange of information between federal agencies and state labs. FERN’s support programs are: methods coordination, training, proficiency testing, surveillance assignments, and electric communications and collaborations. About 85% of “eligible food regulatory labs in the US”—172 labs—are voluntary members of FERN. State member labs can be awarded FERN funds through Cooperative Agreements, which currently total 33. FERN’s federal partners include the FDA Rapid Response Teams, USDA Microbiological and Pesticide Data Programs, and the Centers for Disease Control Laboratory Response Network, and is a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks.

Source: FDA