FAO/IAEA Training and Reference Centre

Scope of Activities of the TRC

1. Training

Training at various levels is one of the most important tasks of the TRC. The training is carried out both at the FAO/IAEA Laboratories, Seibersdorf, Austria and in co-operation with specialised laboratories/institutions elsewhere. The training programmes include short courses (1 - 2 weeks) to address specific theoretical subjects; long courses (4 - 6 weeks) to upgrade the theoretical and practical knowledge of practising bench analysts; fellowships (3 - 6 months) to provide experience and training in advanced laboratories.

The aim of the training is to assist member countries in establishing and operating laboratories according to the principles of ISO Guide 17025 and/or GLP in order to produce reliable and internationally acceptable analytical results. These results can facilitate the efficient regulation and use of pesticides, as well as trade in agricultural commodities. Consequently the training courses provide information to participants working at two different levels of the hierarchy: namely, officials involved in planning, decision making and supervision, and analysts working at the lab-bench.

The main areas of training are determination of:

• microbial contaminants of food;
  
• mycotoxins in food/feed;
  
• pesticide residues in food;
  
• radionuclides and toxic metals in food;
  
• veterinary drug residues in food.

The participants of the training courses are expected to complete successfully and demonstrate proficiency in the course of study and disseminate the knowledge and information received to the staff of relevant laboratories in their country upon return.

Following the advanced training courses the laboratories of nominating institutes are expected to participate regularly in proficiency studies.

Training courses provisionally planned for 1999-2004:

• basic course on planning and implementation of food control activities by chemical analysis;
  
• introduction of ISO Guide 17025 and principles of GLP;
  
• training of Quality Assurance Officers and Laboratory Inspectors;
  
• analysis of pesticide residues in food (basic course);
  
• testing the quality of commercial pesticide products (basic course);
  
• introduction of quality assurance, quality control measures in residue analytical laboratories (advanced course);
  
• use of immunoassay and molecular methods for determining/enumerating pathogenic microorganisms in food;
  
• application of nuclear and related techniques to the analysis of mycotoxins in food;
  
• determination of veterinary drug residues in animal products;
  
• analysis of radionuclides and toxic metals in food and environmental samples.

Specific announcement of each training course will be made in the What’s New section of this Home Page. Interest in any course could be expressed through national institutes.

2. Support of Analytical Proficiency Studies

The analytical proficiency studies provide an objective criterion for the participating laboratories to check their performance and the reliability of their results, to built up self confidence and, last but not least, to demonstrate their capability to third parties. The regular participation in check sample studies is one of the prerequisites of current quality systems. The comprehensive evaluation of the performance of the laboratories by analysing their raw data provides the opportunity for an expert to identify the possible shortcomings in their procedures, to give advice for improvement either through correspondence or in form of technical backup visit.

3. Technical Backup Visits

Such visits are needed to advise laboratories on improving methodology and analytical performance, and to assist laboratories in implementing quality control - quality assurance systems according to ISO 17025 Guide and or GLP.

Further information about the TRC and its activities may be obtained from:

Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture
International Atomic Energy Agency
Wagrammer Str. 5
A-1400 Vienna
Austria
Fax: +43-1-26007
or
IAEA Laboratories
A-2444 Seibersdorf, Austria
Fax: +43-1-2600-28222.
E-mail: Official.Mail@iaea.org