STAKEHOLDER PANEL ON STRATEGIC FOOD ANALYTICAL METHODS (SPSFAM)

The Stakeholder Panel on Strategic Food Analytical Methods (SPSFAM) builds consensus on methodology impacting the community and address issues or topics of interest to the stakeholders related to food, or strategic growth of the food industry. SPSFAM represents AOAC International’s (AOAC) Organizational Affiliates (OAs), some of whom are the world’s largest food companies. The stakeholder panel, as well as the advisory panel, is chaired by Lou Anne Blanchard of Kraft Foods and Arti Arora of The Coca-Cola Company. Key to this initiative is cooperation among various standards-setting organizations and regulatory agencies, so that AOAC members and customers can comply with multiple organizations’ requirements, which would add value for OAs. As part of AOAC’s consensus-building process, working groups will develop standard method performance requirements, against which methods can be evaluated. It is expected that good methods resulting from the stakeholder panel and its working groups will undergo AOAC’s alternative path to achieving Official First Action status, in which an expert review panel can approve methods if enough acceptable data is available. Working Group Update: Flavonoids: The Working Group will be finalizing their Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs) for Flavanols. The Standard Method Performance Requirement (SMPR) for Flavanols will be posted this week for public comment. AOAC needs experts in flavanols to participate on the Expert Review Panel (ERP) in March. If you are interested, please submit your CV to La'Kia Phillips at lphillips@aoac.org for consideration.* Antioxidants:  AOAC needs experts in antioxidants to participate on the Expert Review Panel (ERP) in March. If you are interested, please submit your CV to La’Kia Phillips at lphillips@aoac.org for consideration.*   Surveillance Methods for Food/Food Ingredients Authenticity (Pure Identity) and Conformity: The focus of this Working Group has been further defined. The SPSFAM Advisory Panel has suggested moving forward with issues dealing with economic adulterations. A list of top foods and adulterants will be discussed at the next teleconference. Ingredients: A Call for Methods for Vitamins A, D, E, and K has been posted and will be open until Friday, March 2, 2012. The Working Group is moving forward with developing the Standard Method Performance Requirement (SMPR) for Vitamin K and reviewing the Standard Method Performance Requirement (SMPR) for Stakeholder Panel for Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals (SPIFAN) for Vitamin A, D, and E. AOAC needs experts in ingredients to participate on the Expert Review Panel (ERP) in March. If you are interested, please submit your CV to La’Kia Phillips at lphillips@aoac.org for consideration.*  *NOTE: ERP participants must submit a CV to be reviewed and approved by the AOAC Official Methods Board (OMB).
Call for Dietary Supplement Companies. AOAC is in need of Dietary Supplement companies to participate in the vitamins discussions.
If you are interested in joining a working group, please contact Dawn Frazier at dfrazier@aoac.org.
Multinational food companies are needed to participation the SPSFAM. AOAC relies on the experience and direction of these companies to weigh in on each of the working groups.
For more information, contact Dawn Frazier at dfrazier@aoac.org or Deborah McKenzie at dmckenzie@aoac.org.

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