McCarthy Completes USDA Food Safety Midwestern Laboratory

McCarthy Building Companies has joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to announce the completion of the Midwestern Laboratory in St. Louis. Following the installation of laboratory equipment in July, the facility is set to open shortly thereafter.

Representing a significant milestone in FSIS’s commitment to public health and food safety, the 84,000-square-foot, single-story facility was designed by Hoefer Welker. It was developed in close collaboration with the agency to ensure operational efficiencies, sustainable practices and the integration of advanced scientific technologies to address both current and future food safety challenges.

The facility includes microbiology and chemistry labs, processing center, large receiving area and adjacent sample prep laboratory, as well as administrative offices. The new lab will coordinate and conduct laboratory services in support of the agency’s farm-to-table strategies for food safety in meat, poultry, fish and egg products.

 It will be home to approximately 60 employees across three branches:

• Administration: Overseeing testing, quality control, procurement and safety
• Chemistry: Conducting analyses for veterinary drugs and environmental contaminants
• Microbiology: Performing testing for foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella, the top seven E. coli STEC strains, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter species and sanitary indicators. The lab will also conduct whole genome DNA sequencing on positive isolates.

In alignment with the General Services Administration’s mission to procure space for federal agencies, GSA executed a 20-year lease with US Federal Properties for a total contract value of $115.54 million. Construction began May 2023 and concluded on schedule.