Kansas Department of Agriculture Laboratory expands testing to improve food safety nationwide
Official title: Kansas Department of Agriculture Laboratory's Implementation of a Laboratory Flexible Funding Model
Funded at Kansas State Department of Agriculture · NIH-11418720 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A state food-safety lab is expanding its testing capabilities to better detect pathogens and chemicals in food, aiming to strengthen national food safety surveillance and protect people who eat and buy food.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kansas State Department of Agriculture NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Manhattan, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $474,627 |
| NIH project number | 5U19FD008595-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11418720 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable (this grant pertains to a laboratory capacity-building project for food safety testing, not a patient-facing clinical study).
✕Less likely to help
There are no direct patient participants in this capacity-building project.
What this research studies
The Kansas Department of Agriculture Laboratory (KDAL) is enlarging its microbiology and chemistry testing capacity to support a more integrated national food safety system. Through a cooperative funding model, the lab will increase sample throughput for human and animal food products and enhance quality assurance with continued ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation. This project will involve capacity development, resource expansion, and collaboration with state programs to ensure accurate, defensible test results that inform inspections and public health actions. If successful, the work could lead to faster and more reliable detection of foodborne hazards and contaminants across Kansas and beyond.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Improved accuracy and speed in detecting food safety issues could lead to fewer contaminated products reaching consumers and better protection of public health.
How similar studies have gone: Previous capacity-building efforts in food safety laboratories have shown that enhanced testing throughput and quality systems improve surveillance and regulatory actions.
Where this research is happening
-
Kansas State Department of Agriculture
Manhattan, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hemmert, Amelia — Kansas State Department of Agriculture
- Study coordinator: Hemmert, Amelia
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.