PTIN Workshop on Laboratory Capacity Building
Date: August 25-26, 2011
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
This two-day APEC FSCF PTIN endorsed laboratory capacity building workshop sponsored by the United States and held in Thailand focused on the prioritization of laboratory capacity building needs and highlighted the Global Context of Food Safety stressing the importance of laboratory capacity to industry, international trade, and public health. An APEC PTIN laboratory capacity assessment was discussed, and three training modules covering APEC laboratory capacity building priority areas will be presented.
For more information, contact: Janet Leak-Garcia, janet.leak-garcia@fas.usda.gov, (202) 690-3327
DOCUMENTS & PRESENTATIONS
APEC Lab Capacity Building Info Sheet
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Agenda
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Final Report
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DAY 1
Global Context of Food Safety
Dr. Hans-Joachim Huebschmann, Thermo Fisher
OBJECTIVE: Why testing is important to achieve food safety and why we do testing. Highlight the intricacies involved in establishing and maintaining food safety laboratory capacity for multiple laboratory types in accordance with multiple national regulations and Codex guidelines.
Importance of Laboratory Capacity to Trade/Industry
Shannon Cole, Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)
OBJECTIVE: Importance of proper laboratory testing and its economic impacts for import/export.
Importance of Laboratory Capacity: Public Health Implications
Dr. Lalith Goonatilake, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
OBJECTIVE: Explain positive impacts of proper testing on public health (i.e. fewer hospitalizations, deaths). Emphasis on importance of reducing false negatives (with testing from both partners); shared burden ultimately increases surveillance.
Importance of Laboratory Capacity: Specialist Regional Bodies' (SRB) Perspective:
Dr. SK Wong, Government Laboratory Hong Kong, APMP
OBJECTIVE: Provide economies with information on where and how they can improve their laboratory capacity. The need for ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard accreditation. Highlight how this standard has both management and technical requirements and that through customer focus the management requirements will drive the technical requirements through the concept of 'fit for purpose.'
Economic Support and Sustainability of Labs
Dr. Laurie Besley, National Measurement Institute (NMI), Australia
OBJECTIVE: Importance of economic support of labs. Stress importance of knowing customer and their requirements in order to ensure customer driven income and acquisition of appropriate equipment.
TRAINING SECTION 1
Management Systems
Management Systems
Moderator - Darryl Sullivan, Covance, AOAC
OBJECTIVE: Elements of continuous improvement, the importance of management driven systems and the need for customer focus. Understand critical role of quality assurance in ensuring that laboratories accurately detect and quantify food safety risks. Underscore importance of validating methods according to internationally accepted standards such as ISO 17025 for ensuring food safety and facilitating trade. Underscore importance of method validation, measurement uncertainty, internal quality control and traceability, and accreditation.
High Level Importance: ISO 17025 Microbiology compliance
Thamolwan Laovittayanurak, 3M Thailand
OBJECTIVE: Reinforce participants’ knowledge of technical principles of ISO 17025 and attitudes required for successful performance in food safety. Emphasize that the overwhelming majority of food poisoning incidents are caused by microbial contamination and thus food microbiology laboratories are of critical importance in the risk assessment process. Ramifications of a wrong result in the food safety risk analysis process such as the recent case in Germany where Spanish cucumbers were incorrectly identified as the cause of E.coli 0104 poisoning.
High Level Importance: ISO 17025 Chemical compliance
Darryl Sullivan, Covance, AOAC
Darryl Sullivan, Covance, AOAC OBJECTIVE: Reinforce participants’ knowledge of chemical technical principles of ISO 17025 and attitudes required for successful performance in food safety. Gaining analytical chemistry expertise through practice and experience. Principles of the process of equipment qualification.
Importance of Reference Materials and Where to get them
WW Wong, Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS)
OBJECTIVE: Discuss importance of using internationally competent, regional/certified food reference materials and sources to obtain secondary reference materials
Quality Assurance: Case Study: Thailand
Boonme Kanjanopas, Betagro
OBJECTIVE: Lessoned learned from validating temperature controlled equipment in microbiological testing labs including incubators, water baths, ovens and refrigerators: Calibration, uncertainty
Risk Surveillance Case Study: Thailand Model
Dr. Panadda Silva, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
OBJECTIVE: Provide a concept and success model of how Thailand is using test kits as a scanning tool for food safety risk surveillance in the community by local authorities.
DAY 2
TRAINING SECTION 2
Fit-for-Purpose Analytical Methods
Moderator: Dr. Panadda Silva, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
Understand how fit-for-purpose analytical methods can be either an effective food Safety control mechanism or an administrative impediment to trade.
A Comprehensive Approah to Fit-for-Purpose Analytical Methods
Dan Schmitz, Abbott Nutrition
OBJECTIVE: Provide an overview of the AOAC Stakeholder Panel process followed by a description of the key process elements: 1) Development of Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs), 2) Down-selection of methods, 3) Method validation, and 4) Performance verification (i.e., collaborative study). A case study will be provided on the AOAC SPIFAN (Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals) initiative.
Fit-for-Purpose Analytical Methods: Case Study
Dr. Henry Chin, Coca Cola
OBJECTIVE: Examine current issues in determining appropriate analytical methods to educate government laboratory managers on the link between fit-for-purpose methods and effective food Safety management: DEHP contamination.
TRAINING SECTION 3
Sampling, Data Analysis and Data Interpretation
Moderator: Maria Estela Ayala, Instituto Tecnológico Pesquero (ITP), Peru
Tie-in of prior fit-for-purpose section to food safety/public health being introduced in this section. The process approach as an integral part of the implementation of a laboratory management system.
Importance of Structured Sampling Plans and Accurate Product Sampling
Dr. Emilio Esteban, USDA/Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
OBJECTIVE: Overview of good sampling techniques/practices and statistical aspects of sampling (i.e. how many samples should we take), data analysis and examples: CODEX recommended methods for validation of qualitative and quantitative food safety sampling and sampling plans.
Importance of International Standards and MRLs and MLs for Accurate Data Analysis
Pisan Pongsapitch, National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACSF), Thailand
OBJECTIVE: Discuss how international standards in Safety control limits (MRLs, MLs) are essential in facilitating safe food trade.
Data for Public Health Decision Making
Maria Estela Ayala, ITP Peru
OBJECTIVE: Examine data interpretation and how data is actually used to make real life decisions related to food safety. Limit of Detection (LOD) vs. Limit of Quantification (LOQ) for data analysis and method validation. Determining public health and safety issues and avoiding false alarms. Importance of the measurement uncertainty in decision making and its critical role in risk assessment.
Roundtable on FSCF/PTIN Way Forward in Lab Capacity Building
Dr. Laurie Besley, NMI Australia
OBJECTIVE: Break up into smaller groups and based on the assessment results discussion, provide concrete recommendations to the PTIN on which priority areas to focus on to add value, what order would prove most beneficial and appropriate performance measures to use.