To the extent that funding is available, the secretary shall maintain a program to develop new methods and modify existing methods for testing produce for the presence of pesticide residues. The secretary may consult with representatives of the federal Food and Drug Administration, the State Department of Health Services, the Department of Pesticide Regulation, public and private institutions of higher education, other laboratories, or any other entity he or she deems appropriate. The secretary shall focus his or her review on analytical methods for pesticide residues that are not detectable on existing multiple-residue screens, and on pesticide residue detection methods that the secretary deems are difficult to accurately identify and quantify due to time, equipment, or expense.

(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 545, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1995.)