MoniQA FST on „Reference materials and method validation in food safety assurance”

The MoniQA FST on "Reference materials and method validation in food safety assurance" took place in Vienna from March15-19, 2010 at the BOKU (University of Life Sciences and Natural Resources). The event brought together 32 participants from five countries.

Its aim was to describe the problems and challenges involved in the international comparability and validity of analytical results in the assurance of food safety and quality. On the basis of practical examples the focus was on current hot topics, such as mycotoxins, food allergens, pathogenic micro-organisms, GMOs, etc., the analytical possibilities (including rapid methods), and the corresponding regulations.

Additionally, an overview of international standardization bodies and examples of international validation studies was given.