The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Center for Analytical Chemistry (CAC) recently conducted discussion and lab tours with members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service’s Cochran Fellowship Program (USDA CFP) to offer training to agricultural professionals in emerging markets from across the world.
During the tour, CDFA scientists provided details of the CAC Food Safety and Environmental Safety labs and their procedures and operations, including sample receiving, sample preparation, extraction, instrumentation, analysis, and data processing and reporting. The visitors also discussed with CAC staff the laboratory management system, staff development and competency, as well as food safety inspection and regulatory programs in California.
USDA CFP provides short-term training opportunities to agricultural professionals from middle-income countries, emerging markets and emerging democracies. The fellows work with U.S. universities, government agencies and private companies to receive hands-on training to enhance their technical knowledge and skills related to agriculture trade, agribusiness development, management, policy and marketing.
CDFA’s Center for Analytical Chemistry is a branch of the Inspection Services Division.