FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, August 4, 2010

CONTACT:
Michael Schommer, Communications Director
651.201.6629, Michael.schommer@state.mn.us

MDA Laboratory helping verify safety of Gulf Coast seafood

ST. PAUL, Minn. – As the Gulf Coast fishing industry works to recover from the impact of the oil spill, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Laboratory Services Division is participating in a national partnership to help verify the safety of seafood in the Gulf of Mexico.

MDA is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station through a unique national partnership called the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN).  This network integrates the nation’s food-testing laboratories at the local, state, and federal levels into a network able to respond to emergencies involving biological, chemical, or radiological contamination of food.

The MDA Laboratory is helping in two ways.  First, it has worked with FERN partners to develop and validate a new testing procedure that uses a laboratory technique called High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection to more efficiently analyze seafood samples for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH).  PAH is a class of chemicals associated with petroleum and is highly toxic to humans and animals.  Its presence would indicate a human health and food safety threat.

Second, the MDA Laboratory is helping by testing samples of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico for potential contamination related to the oil spill.  Within the last week, the MDA Laboratory started receiving and analyzing fish, shrimp, crab, and oyster samples from the Gulf States.  Federal officials are using test results provided by the MDA, FDA, and Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station to assess the safety of seafood from the Gulf waters.  The MDA Laboratory will continue testing this seafood for several months.

“Minnesota may be a long way from the Gulf Coast, but thanks to this national partnership we can use our lab testing capabilities to help in the recovery effort,” said MDA Laboratory Services Director Gary Horvath.  “We are happy to lend a hand to help the affected region and ensure the safety of our seafood supply.”

The MDA’s effort in support of FERN has helped to ensure that seafood from the Gulf States does not pose a health risk to consumers.  It allows the waters affected by the Gulf oil spill to be re-opened for commercial fishing.  This step is vital to the health of the Gulf region’s economy.

The MDA has been a member of FERN since 2003.  For more information, visit the partnership website at: http://www.fernlab.org.

-30-