As the "Association of Analytical Communities," AOAC INTERNATIONAL is committed to be a proactive, worldwide provider and facilitator in the development, use, and harmonization of validated analytical methods and laboratory quality assurance programs and services. AOAC also serves as the primary resource for timely knowledge exchange, networking, and high-quality laboratory information for its members.

To meet these goals, AOAC has three methods validation programs, the AOAC^® Official Methods^SM Program^® Peer-Verified Methods^SM Program, and the AOAC^® Performance Tested Methods^SM Program. AOAC is focusing very closely on streamlining its methods review process and providing new methods in areas of increasing international interest, such as nutraceuticals and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

International laboratory accreditation as a requirement for participation in the global marketplace has given AOAC INTERNATIONAL an opportunity to undertake a leadership role in developing criteria for laboratory accreditation. Members of the AOAC Laboratory Accreditation Criteria Committee (ALACC) have provided laboratory managers with the guidance they need to meet ISO 17025 requirements. The AOAC^® Laboratory Proficiency Testing^SM Program is also playing a key role by providing laboratories with a means for proving the accuracy and reliability of their test results to both their customers and accrediting bodies. Laboratories must depend on the results from a proficiency-testing program to maintain their business. The AOAC^® Laboratory Proficiency Testing^SM Program has earned the confidence of its customers by being among the first accredited proficiency testing programs.

AOAC also provides a number of key publications, hosts technical meetings and conferences, and offers training courses in the areas of laboratory management, quality assurance, accreditation, statistics, and measurement uncertainty.

Because AOAC is an internationally recognized organization with 120 years of experience in validating and approving analytical methods for foods and agriculture, and because public health agencies need access to timely and reliable laboratory methods as part of an international food safety system, in 2001, AOAC was awarded two government contracts, one to validate methods, and the other to develop an on-line database of methods (e-CAM) in support of an international food safety system.

One of the contracts awarded AOAC is a joint effort with the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. AOAC has agreed to identify, optimize, and evaluate a number of methods for ephedrine alkaloids and aristolochic acid. This is an example of how AOAC partners with other organizations in the effort to protect the public health.

A second and longer-term contract is with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. This is a cooperative agreement in support of the National Food Safety System and involves the establishment of an online database of analytical methods for the analysis of foods. The database will permit federal, state, and international organizations doing food safety work to have electronic access, on a subscription basis, to the latest validated methods of analysis (new methods will be in ISO 17025-compatible format). This database will let laboratories develop reliable and reproducible data equivalent to that produced by other laboratories using the same methods, thereby creating a network in which analytical data can be shared. It is likely that other federal agencies will join in support of this effort.

The early years of AOAC were strongly influenced by Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, a founder of the Association who served as President and Secretary. In 1885, Dr. Wiley oversaw the publication of the AOAC Methods of Analysis, a 49-page bulletin of methods for analysis of fertilizers and precursor to the Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC INTERNATIONAL (OMA). By 1887, the publication had grown to include methods for feeds and dairy products, as well as fertilizers.

Dr. Wiley's interest and concern for the adulteration of foods and drugs, led to the study and adoption of official methods for foods in 1889. His research, and that of other AOAC volunteers, led directly to the passage of the 1906 Federal Pure Food and Drug Act. By 1912, AOAC was publishing the Official and Provisional Methods of Analysis of the AOAC.

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was established as a separate agency from the USDA in 1927, sponsorship of the Association passed to FDA, which was now responsible for regulatory activities and because AOAC methods are so important to regulatory work.

The 1950's were an exciting era of rapid expansion for AOAC. New food legislation was passed and the need for new methods and techniques for regulatory purposes spurred rapid expansion of government laboratory facilities and participation in AOAC. As in the 1890's, AOAC was in the forefront of methods development and validation—it was during this period that AOAC established itself as a recognized leader in the process of evaluating analytical methods.

In 1965, to recognize the expansion of AOAC's scope of interest beyond agricultural topics, the Association's name was changed to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The Association also began looking towards independence from the FDA. With funding secured from federal, state, and industry sources, AOAC became a truly independent organization in 1979.

The 1970's also brought about provisions for membership by scientists from outside the United States. Another significant change was the increased participation and acceptance of non-official (non-government) scientists. Although they had always been allowed and encouraged to participate in collaborative studies, and to hold methods development positions, it was 1987 before full voting membership was extended to industry scientists. Today, over 60% of AOAC INTERNATIONAL members are working in industry laboratories.

In 1980, the formation of geographically defined chapters, called Sections, was approved. AOAC's first Sections were established in North America, beginning with the Pacific Northwest Section in 1981. The Sections program expanded internationally with the founding of the Europe Section in 1989.

By 1991, the Association had long ceased to be limited to regulatory ("Official") analytical chemists in the United States. During the 1980's and 1990's, the attention of the analytical community-particularly the segment focused on foods-had changed dramatically from chemical to microbiological food contaminants. Additionally, as a result of expansion of international trade, there was increasing demand for quality control of laboratories and international laboratory accreditation.

Consequently, in that year, the name of the Association was changed to AOAC INTERNATIONAL. The new name retained the initials by which the Association had been known for over 100 years, while eliminating reference to a specific scientific discipline or profession, and reflecting the expanding international membership and focus of AOAC as the "Association of Analytical Communities."