Food Safety Laboratory

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' (FDACS) Food Safety Laboratory, located in Tallahassee, works to ensure Florida consumers the safest possible food supply. Each year laboratory personnel analyze more than 15,000 samples submitted by FDACS inspectors who inspect Florida's retail and wholesale food businesses and dairy industry farms facilities.

Samples may be submitted in connection with specific food investigations or from targeted surveillance of products of concern and can be analyzed for pathogenic bacteria, protozoan parasites, toxins, allergens, chemical contamination, pesticide residues, nutrition, food additives, fraudulent formulations, or any combination of these.

Since May 21, 2007, the laboratory has been accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation in accordance with the recognized ISO/IEC 17025 standard, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories, for the specific tests listed in certificates 2534.01 and 2534.02. The ISO/IEC 17025 standard is the internationally recognized standard for assessing the quality and competence of laboratories' analytical testing activities.