National Reference Laboratories Wageningen Food Safety Research : Annual report 2021

Summary

National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) are part of the system responsible for controlling and enforcing the EU food and feed law. Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) has been designated the NRL for thirteen subjects. The tasks of an NRL depend on its research fields. This report gives an overview of the activities performed by all of WFSR’s NRLs in 2021. These NRLs are for: milk and milk products, marine biotoxins,animal proteins, certain substances and residues thereof as laid down in Regulation (EU) 2017/625, additives for use in animal nutrition (feed additives), genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food and feed,pesticides, metals and nitrogenous substances in feed and food, mycotoxins and plant toxins in food and feed, processing contaminants halogenated persistent organic pollutants in food and feed, food-borne viruses and water content of poultry.This report first gives an overview of relevant legislation and information on the networks of EURLs, NRLsand OLs. For every NRL, a description of all activities performed in the EURL-NRL network, such as participation in EURL-NRL workshops, working groups, and proficiency and comparative tests. This is followed by a description of the assistance provided to OLs, such as a quality check or advice. Finally, the scientific and technical support given to the competent authority is discussed. In some cases, contact with other NRLs is discussed. An important NRL task is to stay updated with current developments within its NRL domain. Every EURL organises one or two meetings (workshops) every year for that purpose. Participation in these EURL-NRL workshops is mandatory. In 2021, because of COVID-19, the workshops were almost all held online. NRLs of WFSR have attended all workshops and actively participated in EURL working groups to improve analytical methods.To test the analytical capabilities of NRLs, the EURLs organise proficiency tests. As the scope of the EURL proficiency tests is sometimes limited, the NRLs also participated in proficiency tests organised by other organisations if this was considered relevant. The majority of these proficiency tests’ results (z-scores) were satisfactory; only a few ‘questionable’ and a few ‘unsatisfactorily’ results were reported. Follow-up actions were implemented in those cases. The performance of the OLs was assured by checking the results of their performance in proficiency tests (organised by other laboratories or the NRL) or by sending them assurance samples. Some OLs also received technical support with regard to their analyses.