AOAC Community on Chemical Contaminants & Residues in Food

MISSION:

To establish an infrastructure within the AOAC to meet the needs of scientists involved with the analysis of food for chemical contaminants and/or residues.

To represent scientists from countries across the globe who are dedicated to the protection of the food supply from harmful chemicals whether they be from intentional, natural or accidental contamination.

To engage the community of all stakeholders involved with or affected by, the analysis of chemical contaminants and residues in food from international, federal, and state governments, academia, industry, business, and trade associations.

To establish a forum where stakeholders can introduce new needs and resolve method problems with international input.

To identify, by consensus, the most needed methodologies requiring development and validation. Chemical contaminant analytes may include but are not limited to trace levels of pesticides, veterinary drugs, mycotoxins, banned food dyes, industrial chemicals (e.g., acrylamide, perchlorate, benzene), radionuclides (e.g., cesium-134, iodine-131, strontium-90) and environmental contaminants such as toxic elements (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, methylmercury) and persistent organic pollutants (e.g., polybrominated diphenyl ethers, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons).

To guide and supervise the prioritization, development and validation of analytical methods for the detection, identification, and/or quantification of chemical contaminants and residues in food matrices which are acceptable to governments and industry worldwide.

To provide confidence in analytical results as used by food regulators and food industry representatives alike for many purposes including public safety and security of the food supply, quality control and transparency of methods impacting trade.

AOAC Community members will include global representatives from governments, academia, producers, processors, distributors, importers and exporters, working together to develop analytical standards of excellence in their areas of expertise. The Community will serve as a primary resource for timely knowledge exchange, networking and high quality laboratory information for all stakeholders.