Food & Drug Protection - Laboratory

The laboratories of the Food and Drug Protection Division provide analytical support services for the regulatory and service programs of the Food and Drug Protection Division, the Plant Industry Division, the Structural Pest Control and Pesticide Division , and the Meat & Poultry Inspection Division. The Laboratory also provides support services for several federal agencies (USEPA, US FDA, and USDA).
 

Laboratory Staff

Reagan Converse, Laboratory Director 
 

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Feed & Forage Laboratory

The Feed Laboratory analyzes official samples of commercial animal feed products collected by division Feed Branch Inspectors to ensure compliance with the North Carolina Commercial Feed Law. The section also provides analytical support for the North Carolina Farm Feed Testing Program. For a $10.00 fee the Forage Laboratory will analyze forages and farm mixed feeds for nutritional composition. The analytical results offer a guide for optimum feeding practices and balancing rations.

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Fertilizer Laboratory
 

The Fertilizer Laboratory analyzes official samples of commercial fertilizer products , liming materials, and soil amendments collected by inspectors of the Plant Industry Division to ensure compliance with the North Carolina Fertilizer Law.

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Food Laboratory

The Food Laboratory analyzes official samples of human foods collected by Food Branch Inspectors to ensure compliance with the North Carolina Food and Drug Law. The section also analyzes meat samples for the Meat & Poultry Divsion, alcoholic beverages for the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

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Microbiology Laboratory

The Microbiology Laboratory provides analytical services to support the activities of the of the Food and Drug Protection Division Food Branch and the Meat and Poultry Inspection Division. The Food Microbiology Laboratory analyzes food samples collected across the state of NC from food manufacturers, retail, wholesale, farmer's markets and roadside stands for the presence of pathogens and other microorganisms. The Disinfectant Microbiology Laboratory performs testing for the Structural Pest Control and Pesticide Division and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on disinfectants, fungicides and sanitizers to ensure their effectiveness.

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The Pesticide Formulation Laboratory analyzes official samples of commercial pesticide products collected by division Structural Pest Control and Pesticide Inspection Division Inspectors to ensure compliance with the North Carolina Pesticide Law. The Pesticide Formulation Laboratory also analyzes soil samples for the Structural Pest Control and Pesticide Division to ensure compliance with the Structural Pest Laws of N.C. The soil samples come from private homes as well as commercial establishments. This Laboratory also analyzes commercial automotive antifreeze/coolant samples to ensure compliance with the North Carolina Antifreeze Law

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Residue Laboratory

The Residue Laboratory provides a wide variety of trace-level analytical services in support of the regulatory programs of the Food and Drug Protection Division, other divisions of NCDA, other state agencies, the EPA, the FDA, and the USDA. Analytical services include identifying and quantitating pesticides in foods and animal feeds, pesticides and volatile organic compounds in drinking water, mycotoxins in human foods, animal feeds and grains, and pesticide residues in a wide variety of environmental samples.