| Home |
A working group, established by AOAC and chaired by Shauna Roman (Schiff Nutrition International, Inc.), began developing draft standard method performance requirements (SMPRs) for St. John’s wort during the AOAC Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Draft SMPRs will be posted on the AOAC website for an open comment period. SMPRs will be reviewed and, if successful, approved by the Stakeholder Panel on Strategic Foods Analytical Methods (SPSFAM) during the AOAC Mid-Year Meeting in March 2013. Approved SMPRs will be codified and published in the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL and Official Methods of Analysis. In support of a new contract with the National Institutes of Health-Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH-ODS), signed in August 2012, AOAC will continue to engage the dietary supplements industry to develop voluntary consensus standards in an effort to modernize methods. SMPRs are being established for St. John’s wort that reflect the needs of the dietary supplement community and NIH. AOAC is leveraging NIH’s networks and dietary supplements stakeholders to launch industry outreach and engagement. With continued strategic engagement, AOAC is encouraging industry to participate in and support the Association’s standards developing activities for dietary supplements. The previous contract between AOAC and NIH/ODS and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, initiated in September 2001, resulted in the concept of fitness for purpose, clearly stating the intended use of methods; prioritization of method needs; and establishment of industry‐based working groups for industry engagement. In addition, the use of expert review panels to select the best method for further study was instituted. Many of these same elements are now an integral part of the AOAC standards development process. To participate on the stakeholder panel and/or St. John’s Wort Working Group, or for general information, contact Dawn Frazier, executive for scientific business development, at dfrazier@aoac.org or Tel: +1-301-924-7077, ext 117. For information on SPSFAM, visit the AOAC website at http://www.aoac.org/SPSFAM/spsfam.htm.
|
