Enhancing State Food Testing Capacity to Protect Public Health
Official title: LFFM 2 IDALS
Funded at Iowa Dept Agriculture/land Stewardship · NIH-11422099 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant helps Iowa’s food labs work with the FDA to improve testing quality and speed so safer food reaches people more reliably.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Iowa Dept Agriculture/land Stewardship NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Des Moines, United States) |
| Project start | September 25, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $425,000 |
| NIH project number | 5U19FD008616-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11422099 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly; this grant focuses on improving laboratory testing for food safety.
✕Less likely to help
Patients will not participate as subjects; the work is lab and system-oriented.
What this research studies
IDALS will partner with the FDA under the Laboratory Flex Funding Model to strengthen state laboratory capabilities for testing human and animal foods. The project includes expanding testing capacity, acquiring new equipment, validating novel methods, and maintaining ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation to ensure high-quality, trustworthy results. By implementing standardized processes within an integrated food safety system, the effort aims to reduce illness from foodborne hazards and improve overall food security. The work will be carried out in Des Moines, with a focus on ensuring laboratories meet FDA requirements and deliver timely, accurate data for regulatory decisions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this initiative could lead to safer food, faster outbreak detection, and more reliable lab results that support public health actions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous collaborations between state labs and the FDA have shown improvements in food-testing quality and turnaround times when accreditation and standardized methods are maintained.
Where this research is happening
-
Iowa Dept Agriculture/land Stewardship
Des Moines, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Banta, Melanie D — Iowa Dept Agriculture/land Stewardship
- Study coordinator: Banta, Melanie D
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.