Department of Agriculture and Food. Chemistry Laboratories

"Performs various analyses to be sure food and feed products are wholesome, free of unlawful additives or residues, and in conformity with label claims. Analyses commercial feeds and fertilizers; pesticides; meat and milk samples; bedding, quilted clothing, and upholstered furniture, etc.?"Besides conducting analyses for the department, the lab has a contract to perform analyses on meat and meat products for the State of Montana." (From "Capitol Connections" newsletter, May 1994, volume 2, issue 1, page 4.)??"The purpose of the work is to ensure that products are in compliance with label guarantees, to ensure that product is free of pathogens and toxins, and to protect the consumer, farmer, and industry. Some of the programs are: Feed and Fertilizer, Pesticide Formulation and Residues, Meat and Meat Products, Dairy Bacteriology, Food Pathogen, Filth and Foreign Material, Groundwater, and other programs as needed by other divisions within the department." (Agency History Questionnaire, May 2007.)??"The Chemistry Division operates as a service for various divisions within the Department of Agriculture and Food. The division laboratories provide chemical, physical, and microbiological analyses. All samples analyzed in the laboratories are collected and forwarded by various field inspection personnel from the divisions of Plant Industry, Regulatory Service, Animal Health, and Marketing and Conservation Programs." (2006 Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Annual Report, p. 14.)