AOAC INTERNATIONAL (AOAC) is providing notice of the proposed supersession of AOAC SMPR® 2012.007, Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs®) for Heavy Metals in a Variety of Foods and Beverages, by AOAC SMPR® 2024.002, Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs®) for Determination of Trace Elemental Contaminants in Food and Beverages.
AOAC SMPR® 2012.007 addresses determination of cadmium, arsenic, lead, and mercury in foods and beverages, with priority matrices such as rice, chocolate, juice, and infant formula. It specifies inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and includes general limits of quantitation.
AOAC SMPR® 2024.002 addresses the same four priority contaminants while expanding the applicability to include more foods, beverages, baby foods, infant formula, their ingredients, and natural colorants. It permits ICP-MS or another methodology that meets the performance requirements and establishes lower, analyte-specific limits of quantitation—as low as 1–5 µg/kg for food and baby food—together with updated validation expectations and expanded quality controls, including processed blanks and second-source check standards.
The proposed supersession will identify one current AOAC method performance standard for this analytical need, reduce ambiguity created by overlapping standards, and align users and method developers with the broader scope and current performance expectations in AOAC SMPR® 2024.002. AOAC will retain SMPR® 2012.007 as a historical record and cross-reference it to the succeeding standard. Changing an SMPR’s status does not automatically change the status of any related AOAC Official Method. Any affected method will be reviewed separately through AOAC’s method-review process.
Interested parties may submit comments, objections, or appeals during the 30-calendar-day posting period using the contact information provided with this notice. If no comments, objections, or appeals are received, the supersession will take effect immediately upon the close of the posting period. AOAC SMPR® 2012.007 will then be identified as superseded by AOAC SMPR® 2024.002, and the records for both standards will be updated accordingly.
The deadline for comments is Sunday, November 22, 2026. Comments may be submitted by accessing the Comment Form.
