Supporting national monitoring programmes for veterinary drug residues in food (Feb-April 2022)
Overall 100 food safety scientists and managers from 24 countries (Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Seychelles, Burundi, Egypt, Eritrea Kenya, Uganda, Angola, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin,Rwanda, Sudan, Ivory Coast and Ethiopia) recently participated in training on establishment and implementation of national residue monitoring programmes. Read More
The training took place virtually between February 22 and April 6. The programme included the following: (1) Legislations including all of the measures needed to run a surveillance programme. This covered competent authority and service partners working as a team to design and implement a plan based on risk analysis and investigating non-compliant results. All of this based on full traceability of samples from collection to reporting results, using robust and valid analytical methods.
(2) Legislation coverage: including authorising officials; taking samples and giving legal backing to the analytical services, giving officials powers to detain animals when further investigations are necessary and describing offences and penalties for non-compliance;
(3) Developing a residues plan: Describing the criteria that needs to be considered in putting together a robust surveillance plan and using information/expertise from all agencies involved in coordinating and implementing the plan to emphasise the importance of teamwork;
(4) Analytical requirements: both screening and confirmatory;
(5) Risk sampling and matrix ranking of substances to establish risks: Explanation of a system set up by a team of independent experts from all aspects of the “farm to fork” chain to assess substance groups (authorised and prohibited/unauthorised); a range of criteria to rank them in terms of national risk. How a plan can be implemented to ensure soundness of all samples at all points in the collection and analytical chain to provide a robust audit trail.
(6) Investigation of non-compliant result – authorised and unauthorised substances: Including example (s) of investigations into non-compliant results from a specific farming practice, sources of input, the supply chain;
(7) Recent changes in the European Commission proposals for new residues legislation. The Commission is required to produce new surveillance plans for EU produce, and new plans for testing imports into the EU, by December 2022.
Discussions were held and experiences shared among the 24 countries. A range of challenges were also discussed and solutions proposed
Enhancing regional capacity on supervised field trials and facilitating data collection and submission for pesticide-MRL setting, Kampala, Uganda
Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe recently (28 March – 1 April 2022) participated in a regional training on supervised field trials. The training was hosted by the Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory (DGAL) and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. Prior to the meeting, the host country had prepared a garden and cultivated okra. Pesticide formulations were applied and samples collected and stored ready for analysis by the African participants. Read More
The content included: (a) Multi-Location supervised field trials (GAP Trails for MRL establishment); (b) Laboratory Practicals to analyse pesticide residues from the trial; (c) Laboratory Quality Management System; (d) Monitoring of Pesticide Residues; (e) Purity and Stability of certified reference material for pesticides; (d) Residue data analysis from decline studies, and how this information is reported to stakeholders; (e) Submission of GAP data for Codex MRL setting (d) Bio-efficacy study: Identification of pest/disease, selection of pesticide for the control of the pest, its efficacy, cost and availability of Codex/importing country-MRL. Field trips were also undertaken by the participants.
This training is not only important in improving analytical capabilities but also appreciating the processes of actively contributing relevant data for national, regional and international standards setting.
Results of this work have now been submitted to the JMPR for possible consideration as data that could contribute to MRL setting for such “minor” crops
The laboratory of the Department of Agricultural Development (LNAD), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cameroon is strengthening its food safety testing capabilities. They recently (March 2022) installed Read More
a new UHPLC and received relevant application training. Following the 5-day training onsite, participants are able to effectively operate instrument software, conduct analyses of agricultural products and perform basic instrument handling. A number of staff were also recently trained outside Cameroon (in Egypt) are now ready to utilise this and other analytical tools.
Training in Niger on residue and contaminant analysis (Dec 2021); strengthening analytical capabilities
Between 7 and 18 December 2021, training was conducted at the Central Livestock Laboratory (LABOCEL) on the effective use of the HPLC and related detectors for the analysis of veterinary drug residues and related chemical Read More
contaminants in foodstuff. Seventeen scientists from LABOCE, the National Laboratory for Public Health and Expertise (LANSPEX), the National Institute for Agricultural Research of Niger (INRAN) as well as the General Directorate for Water resources, benefited from the training. The training was provided by a network member from the Veterinary Medicines Laboratory (LACOMEV) in Dakar. LABOCEL and sister institutions plan to work towards accreditation. Furthermore, LABOCEL now has capabilities for elemental analysis, that can be shared with sister institutions such as LANSPEX and INRAN in the country.
Seychelles is strengthening laboratory analytical capabilities
UNBS trains more fellows from Burundi (Dec 2021-Feb 2022)
The Seychelles Public Health Laboratory recently installed a new state-of-the-art LC-MS/MS to support food safety analytical capabilities and expand the scope of services rendered to the community. A number of analysts will soon be trained in optimum use of the equipment. The laboratory is the go-to institution in the country when answers are needed on food safety. This development is therefore timely.
Four scientists from the Burundian Bureau for standardization and Quality Control and the National Centre for Food Technology recently trained at the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) on food safety testing between December 29th 2021 and Feb 4th 2022. A range of tools analytical instrumentation were used for veterinary drug and pesticide residues. The knowledge gained is now being applied and further cooperation among these institutions is expected to continue.
Meeting/training on risk analysis in Nairobi, Kenya, 04-08 Oct 2021
The regional event was hosted by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and attended by 20 delegates and facilitators from 14 countries namely: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Work included Read More
.presentations; case studies and sharing country-specific experiences and laboratory tour. Some the topics covered include: risk analysis and its applications in science; generic components of risk analysis; elements of a food system; changing global factors that affect national food safety systems; evolution of food safety risk analysis as discipline; factors driving changes in food safety; benefits for governments to use food safety risk analysis.
Delegates deliberated on principles and practices/processes of microbiological and chemical Risk Assessment; risks management and risk communication; Case Studies covering Listeriamonocytogenesin ready-to-eat foods; methyl-mercury in fish and Mycobacterium bovis in milk in pastoral communities in Kenya, among others.
The event participants recommend that: The Governments of Member States should institutionalise risk analysis in curricula of undergraduate and graduate programmes at their institutions of higher learning; relevant associations should include risk analysis as one of the courses for Continuous Professional Development for its members and that relevant line ministries in Member States and regulatory bodies should periodically offer in-service training on risk analysis to their staff. More of such events are therefore expected/encouraged.
UNBS hosts and trains four food safety scientists from Burundi and Eritrea
Between May and September 2021, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) recently trained food safety professions from Eritrea and Burundi in areas including food microbiology testing, analysis of chemical hazards including veterinary drug and pesticide residues as well as mycotoxins. Skills were Read More
imparted in use of GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, HPLC and radio receptor assay, as well as an introduction to ISO 17025:2017. The two Eritreans visited for 2 weeks while the Burundians spent 5 weeks. The latter also had the opportunity to attend application’s training on a new GC-MS recently installed. These trained staff are now ready to apply the knowledge gained while UNBS is also planning to host more fellows from these 2 countries for at least one more month.
