The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cut the ribbon on a sprawling research laboratory inside the former Forces Command headquarters at Fort McPherson in southwest Atlanta, turning a long-quiet military campus into a high-powered federal science hub. The renovated building now holds roughly 162,000 square feet of lab and office space designed to centralize and speed testing of foods and other consumer products. Agency officials say more than 200 scientists, investigators and inspectors will work on site, giving the long-stalled Fort McPherson redevelopment a substantial federal anchor.
FDA leaders were on hand Tuesday morning for a ribbon-cutting and tours, according to WSB‑TV. “It really enables this mission with modern design, including advanced HVAC, creating a safer environment for the staff that works here,” FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Kyle Diamantas told Channel 2, the station reported. Officials are calling Fort McPherson the largest FDA laboratory in the country and a major upgrade to the agency’s field-lab network, according to the station.
What the lab will test and why it matters
The Atlanta site will handle the FDA’s Southeast testing operations, including nutritional analysis, chemistry, microbiology and tobacco testing, as part of the agency’s field-lab network, according to FDA. The facility is set up to support outbreak investigations and to run genomic and microbiological analyses that help trace pathogens back to contaminated foods or specific ingredients, a capability the agency has expanded through its whole-genome-sequencing program, per FDA. Those genomic tools are shared and coordinated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during multistate foodborne-illness investigations, which speeds traceback work and recall decisions, according to CDC.
From FORSCOM to a federal lab
The new lab fills the former FORSCOM headquarters building, which sat largely empty after the base closed and became a focal point in debates over how to revive Fort McPherson, local reporting shows. Easterly Government Properties secured a 20-year lease to develop a 162,000-square-foot FDA laboratory at the site, according to Easterly Government Properties. Early coverage said the project was expected to shift roughly 350 FDA employees to Fort Mac during planning, per The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution.
What this means for Atlanta
Officials say centralizing Southeastern testing in one place will let the FDA handle more analyses and get results out faster, which could cut the time between spotting contamination and taking public-health action. Local leaders see the lab as a milestone for the Fort McPherson redevelopment and a steady federal presence in southwest Atlanta. For now, staff and equipment are moving into the building, and officials say the site will strengthen public-health capacity and support local jobs in the months ahead, according to WSB‑TV.
