FAPAS News

FAPAS® OPEN MEETING - 17 June 2008

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

see the full programme here (register on this website - search open meeting in product search) OTHER EVENTS AT CSL – June 2008 CSL/JIFSAN Symposium - Developing responses to emerging global food safety issues (18-20 June) FAPAS® Open Meeting (17 June) CSL/FAPAS® Training Courses (16 June) For further details of these events visit the CSL website

4th TRACE CONFERENCE, Spain, April 2008

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The 4th TRACE conference "Lost without TRACE: new approaches for tracing the origin of food" will take place in Torremolinos from 23-25 April 2008. The conference will showcase the latest developments in the area of food authentication and traceability. Details can be found at http://www.trace.eu.org/je/spain/index.php

Uncertainty in Azo Dye Methodology

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

One of our participants would like to discuss with other labs their use of measurement uncertainty in method validation for Azo dyes. If you have some experience in this matter that you are willing to share please contact Lisa Liebenberg at Ampath Esoteric Science (LisaL@ampath.co.za)

FAPAS® NEWS

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Our Newsletter is now available - download here.

FAPAS® OPEN MEETING - 17 June 2008

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Provisional Programme available from the CSL website: www.csl.gov.uk/training/ (register on this website - search open meeting in product search)

LEAP, FAPAS, FEPAS and GeMMA 08/09 Programme now available to order on line

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Or request order forms as pdf or paper forms by emailing fapas@csl.gov.uk. If you usually order via a local agent you should request a copy from them.

EVENTS AT CSL – June 2008

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

FAPAS® Open Meeting (register on this website - search open day in product search) CSL/JIFSAN Symposium - Developing responses to emerging global food safety issues CSL/FAPAS® Training Courses For further details of these events visit the CSL website: www.csl.gov.uk/training/ or contact our Training Manager, Helen Crevald - foodtraining@csl.gov.uk

EPPO Quality Assurance Workshop for Plant Pest Diagnosis

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hello to everyone I met at the workshop last week. If you want to be kept informed about further developments in our plant health proficiency tests please send an email to fapas@csl.gov.uk and we'll add you to our mailing list. Kate

EURACHEM 6th International Workshop Rome 2008

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

EURACHEM 6th International Workshop on Proficiency Testing in Analytical Chemistry, Microbiology and Laboratory Medicine Rome, Italy (5) -6-7 October 2008 First Circular available from www.iss.it/eurachem/

FAPAS/CSL TRAINING COURSES

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Details of the 2007 Training Programme are available from the CSL website For further or queries, please contact the Training Manager, Helen Crevald - foodtraining@csl.gov.uk

UK Postal Strikes

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Royal Mail (the UK Postal system) are continuing with a further set of strikes during October 2007. Your test material may therefore take a little longer to reach you than usual. However if your material has not arrived in 10 days (or 4 days if it was sent by courier) you must let us know so that we can keep the disruption to tests to a minimum.

New Proficiency Test for Authenticity of Olive Oil, October 2007

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Participants will receive three oil samples and will be asked to confirm if the labelling of these three samples is correct. e.g. one may be labelled as Extra Virgin Olive Oil but it may contain hazel nut oil and extra virgin olive oil. Laboratories would have to tell us if the label was correct i.e. if it was pure Extra Virgin Olive Oil using any analytical method that they think is suitable. If you are interested please register online (test 1466) or contact us for an order form. The test will start on 9 October 2007.

FAPAS Closed for Staff Training Thursday 20 September

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The FAPAS office will be closed for staff training on Thursday 20 September - if you have a query on this day please send us an email and we will answer you as quickly as we can on Friday when the office re-opens.

Quality Control Test Material Sales – Increase in postage costs

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

From August 1 2007, due to increases in the prices charged by UK Royal Mail, we will be including a postage charge for all our Quality Control Test Material Sales. The charges depend on the order value and where you are in the world. The changes will be reflected on our website from 1 August 2007– all FAPAS® quotes issued prior to this will be valid for 30 days. The costs of our proficiency tests are unaffected. For more details on our postage charges see QC Materials - Carriage Prices

GeMMA - DNA Tests

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Due to requests from participants (and the recent GM rice outbreak) GeMMA has increased the variety of traits available. DNA proficiency tests are now available for GM rice, canola (oil seed rape), maize, potato and cotton. Participants will receive two 10ug DNA test materials for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Traits available are LLRice62 RT73 Canola Ms8 Canola Rf3 Canola T25 Maize EH92-527-1 Potato Bollgard 531 Cotton The first test is for LLRice62 and is due to start 24 May 2007. If you are interested please contact us or your agent for a GeMMA order form by 30 March.

Yorkshire Water Sludge Phyto-Conditioning (SPC) Process Seminar on 15 May, Shipley, UK

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This meeting will commence with three presentations outlining the background to the SPC process; how it was developed and the various future potential developments of this novel process which currently produces 5000 tonnes tds per annum of the SPC product. This will be followed by a tour of the process on the Esholt works with an optional tour of the Esholt sewage works Freshwater Fisheries (FFD) improvements. Esholt sewage works treats sewage for a population equivalent of 700,000. It is one of the largest sewage works in Yorkshire. Delegates will then return to the Esholt Conference Centre for tea/coffee and a final open discussion session to answer any queries or raise any relevant issues.Please see: www.http://www.soci.org/SCI/events/

New Proficiency Test Programme Commences 02/04/2007

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Our new FAPAS, FEPAS, GeMMA and LEAP programmes begin shortly please make sure we have received your order for the new year. You can order online or request paper forms and further details from fapas@csl.gov.uk

FAPAS Website and Email Planned Disruption 25-28 May

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Essential maintenance must be carried out on the CSL IT servers over the weekend of 25-28 May. This will result in www.fapas.com being unavailable during some or all of this time, it is also possible that you will not be able to reach us by email during this period. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

3rd TRACE CONFERENCE, Crete, April 2007

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The 3rd TRACE conference "Traceability: persepectives from science, the supply chain and the consumer" will take place in Crete from 25-27 April 2007. The conference will showcase the latest developments in the area of food authentication and traceability. Details can be found at www.trace.eu.org/je/greece/index.php

Proficiency Test Details for 2007/8 now available

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

FAPAS, FEPAS, GeMMA and LEAP programmes are now available to browse and order online or through your local agent. Paper order forms also available - please contact us.

Best Wishes for 2007

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

from everyone at FAPAS

Secure Web Back Up and Running 16:30

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

We have been informed that the problems with our website have now been fixed. We have extended the closing date for tests that finished on the 14 or 15 December to 21 December and apologise for the inconvenience caused. If you have sent us an e-mail and received an undelivered message you will need to e-mail us again. We will try to answer all the messages that have now got through as soon as possible.

FAPAS are Highly Commended at Defra Team Awards

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The FAPAS team were recently recognised in the Excellence in Delivery Category in the awards given by our parent department - Defra. The award was presented to Dr Amanda Earnshaw by Permanent Secretary, Mrs Helen Ghosh. The award was given for our on-line results submission system and its underlying database as well as the positive response we received from our customers in our customer satisfaction survey.

12:53 SecureWeb offline

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with the secure website due to problems with our service provider. We have raised this issue with them and hope to have it fixed shortly.

SecureWeb is still off-line

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

FAPAS apologises for the problems we are having with access to our secure website. This issue is also effecting our email system. We hope it will be resolved later today. Please keep trying or fax your results to us on +44 1904 462111 or +44 1904 462040. We will extend the deadline for tests ending on 14 or 15 December. We will accept results up to and including 21 December.

New FEPAS Packaging

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

We have been working with packaging consultants DGP (UK) Ltd to improve the durability of the boxes and the insulation used to deliver our test materials. Initially the boxes will just be for FEPAS but we are looking to extend the range in the future. So look out for our new style boxes which will be launched for FEPAS 117 at the end of this month.

With Regret

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

We are sad to pass on news of the death of Dr William (Bill) Horwitz on September 27, 2006. We acknowledge the great contribution that he has made to the analytical community. He was AOAC’s Executive Director for 28 years, edited many editions of The Official Methods of Analysis and of course developed the Horwtiz equation that we use in the statistical analysis of so many of our proficiency tests.

Latest News: ISO 9001 Certification Awarded

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

CSL has gained Certification by Lloyds Quality Assurance for compliance to ISO 9001: 2000. If you require any further information please contact us, fapas@csl.gov.uk

Customer Satisfaction Survey

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Thank you to all of our participants who took time to fill in our web-based customer satisfaction survey. We asked you to assess us on accessibility, responsiveness, test material and report quality, administration and the quality of our staff. Of the 359 participants who submitted their questionnaire, 90.5 % of you rated us as excellent or good. This information is incredibly useful to us and by using your feedback we will improve the quality of our service to you.

Environmental Effects of Nanoparticles and Nanomaterials.

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON, Monday 18th- Tuesday 19th September 2006. There is only a few weeks to go before the abstract submission deadline! Short oral presentations of preliminary data, standard oral presentations, and posters are welcome. The meeting is a joint venture between the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry-UK branch (SETAC-UK, http://www.setac-uk.org.uk/index.htm ),the Society for Experimental Biology (SEB, http://www.sebiology.org.uk/index.asp), the Environment Agency, U.K., the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI, http://www.soci.org/SCI/index.jsp), and in collaboration with the Natural Environment Research Council and Defra. See the SETAC UK web site for registration forms and abstract submission details. http://www.setac-uk.org.uk/

XIIth International IUPAC Symposium on Mycotoxins and Phycotoxins

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

21-25 May 2007

The meeting will comprise a number of plenary lectures reviewing methods of analysis and sampling, toxicity, chemistry, biochemistry, biomonitoring, risk assessment, etc. Poster sessions will also play an important part in the symposium and there will be concurrent instrument and manufacturers exhibition.

Click here for further information.

Knowledge Management for Food Safety

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Central Science Laboratory (CSL) has a strong track record of delivering decision support information on-line. Using data from authoritative sources and presenting it clearly and simply, CSL's on-line tools can save time and expense in the drive to protect consumer safety and confidence by providing quick and easy access to global legislative limits for pesticides, veterinary drugs and mycotoxins, along with detailed pesticide approvals information in the UK.

Click here for further information
or

Contact d.hunt at csl.gov.uk

Tel: +44 (0)1904 462612

7th CSL/JIFSAN SYMPOSIUM 6-7 June 2006

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

CSL and JIFSAN (USA) continue their successful series of annual meetings with a Symposium to be held in York (UK) entitled 'Quality Assurance in Food Safety - Networking of Laboratories'. For further details please go to the CSL website at: www.csl.gov.uk

TRACE 2nd Annual Meeting and Traceability and the Consumer Conference

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The second annual TRACE meeting is being held on the 24 - 26 April in Prague, Czech Republic. For further details please go to the website at www.trace.eu.org/je/

Scientific Workshop in Prague 31st March 2006

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

A workshop jointly organised by CSL (FAPAS) and the Department of Food Chemistry and Analysis, Institute of Chemical Technology. Please contact fapas@csl.gov.uk for further details. Directions to the Institute can be found on the Institute of Chemical Technology website.

NEW!! Proficiency Testing in Sugar Analysis

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT

FAPAS are introducing new proficiency tests in the area of sugar analysis. The tests would include dry matter (brix) and sucrose content by polarisation in liquid sugar syrup (thick juice or low green). End product sugar would also be tested for sucrose by polarisation. Please contact us for more details.

EUROPEAN PESTICIDE RESIDUE WORKSHOP (EPRW) 2006

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The 6th workshop will be held on 21-25 May 2006 on the island of Corfu, Greece. The objective of the workshop is to exchange information and experience and bring together analysts, pesticide regulators, and other scientists from residue regulation and control agencies, research institutes, universities, private laboratories, the food industry, regulatory bodies, the agrochemical industry and analytical equipment manufacturers and suppliers. More details of this event, including the Final Programme will be published on the website: www.eprw2006.com.

FAPAS Customer Feedback Questionnaire

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Thank you for your feedback. The questionnaire is now closed.

Experiences with Plumbosolvency Treatment (RSC/CIWEM Meeting)

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT

8th February 2006,Severn Trent Water, Cropston Visitor Centre, Leicestershire LE7 7GB This seminar brings together experts and practitioners to review performance to date, share operational experiences and identify some of the emerging issues which need to be addressed by the Water Companies and Regulatory agencies. A not to be missed opportunity to hear direct from those involved. For further information please contact via E-mail: mark-s.smith@btinternet.com

New FAPAS Proficiency Tests

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Due to participant demand we are pleased to inform you of two new FAPAS tests for an increased suite of illegal dyes in spices to be run in November and January. Please contact us for more details.

Enterobacteriaceae in Simulated Salad (Cucumber)

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

FEPAS have added Enterobacteriaceae in Salad to our list of services. This proficiency test will be run in February 2006. Please contact us for more details.

FEPAS - Using Tryptone Sulfite Neomycin (TSN) Agar

Fri, 23 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Foods contaminated with large numbers of vegetative cells of Clostridium perfringens can give rise to illness characterised by diarrhoea and abdominal pain which may be accompanied by vomiting. From previous FEPAS® assessments it was observed that laboratories using TSN agar were obtaining lower counts for Cl. perfringens compared to other laboratories that used alternative media. Due to the highly selective nature of this culture medium, the FEPAS® Advisory Committee considered that TSN agar results in lower recoveries than other media such as Tryptose Sulphite Cycloserine (TSC) agar. It was therefore concluded that TSN is inappropriate for the enumeration of Cl. perfringens.

International Food Safety Conference

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 00:00:00 GMT

NOVEL ANALYTICAL APPROACHES BEING USED IN FOOD SAFETY 26th and 27th September 2005 - Central Science Laboratory, York. Download more information here. For further details please go to the CSL website at: www.csl.gov.uk.

New technical briefs available

Thu, 26 May 2005 00:00:00 GMT

The FAPAS Advisory Committee has identified some statistical documents that may be of interest to participants in all our schemes. These technical pdfs can be found on this website under AMC technical briefs on the further info tab.

Eurachem 5th Workshop for Proficiency Testing.

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Proficiency Testing Workshop for Analytical Chemistry, Microbiology and Laboratory Medicine. Venue & Date: Portoroz, Slovenia, 25-27 September 2005. Download Final Circular and hotel information.

NEW!! Proficiency Test for Plant Health Bacteriology

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:00 GMT

FAPAS are currently running a pilot proficiency test for Plant Health Bacteriology. 3 vials will be distributed that contain different organisims. One will contain the target quarantine organism. The organisms will be freeze dried bacteria that have been isolated from potatoes. Please contact us for more details.

Proficiency Test for Tobacco

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:00 GMT

FAPAS will shortly be running a proficiency test for Genetically Modified Material in Tobacco this is in addition to the pesticides in tobacco run earlier this year. Further information on either of these tests is available from FAPAS.