Title 21 — Food and DrugsRelease 119-73

§2222 Integrated consortium of laboratory networks

Title 21 › Chapter CHAPTER 27— - FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - IMPROVING CAPACITY TO DETECT AND RESPOND TO FOOD SAFETY PROBLEMS › § 2222

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Homeland Security must keep an agreement, working with the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Commerce, and the EPA Administrator, so selected lab networks work together. Those labs must use common testing methods to find and respond faster to foodborne illness and share information about animal, farm, and human health. They must also find ways to improve national lab readiness, provide extra testing help during emergencies, and keep talking and building relationships for better responses. Every two years the Secretary must send a progress report to the proper Congressional committees and post it on the DHS website.

Full Legal Text

Title 21, §2222

Food and Drugs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall maintain an agreement through which relevant laboratory network members, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall—

(1)agree on common laboratory methods in order to reduce the time required to detect and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and information relating to animal health, agriculture, and human health;

(2)identify means by which laboratory network members could work cooperatively—

(A)to optimize national laboratory preparedness; and

(B)to provide surge capacity during emergencies; and

(3)engage in ongoing dialogue and build relationships that will support a more effective and integrated response during emergencies.

(b)The Secretary of Homeland Security shall, on a biennial basis, submit to the relevant committees of Congress, and make publicly available on the Internet Web site of the Department of Homeland Security, a report on the progress of the integrated consortium of laboratory networks, as established under subsection (a), in carrying out this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

21 U.S.C. § 2222

Title 21 — Food and Drugs

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73