As consumers, two thoughts will cross our minds on a daily basis:

• Did we get what we paid for?
• Is it safe?

When it comes to the food we eat, we need to be confident that it is authentic, nutritious and safe. Regrettably, recent scandals such as melamine in milk, aflatoxins in dog food, Sudan red in spices, cadmium in pineapples, and the “donkey-and-not-beef” issue have all shown how mistaken we can be. Contaminant and nutritional content in food/ feed is well regulated within South Africa and its major trade partners. These regulations may potentially be used to lock-out “unsafe” exports originating from African countries lacking the measurement capability to quantify at regulated levels. This lack of measurement capability may further be exploited by foreign states to dump unsafe products into the South African market. Since 2000, several African countries have recorded some of the highest growth rates in the world, some averaging 5% per annum and upwards, originating mainly from agricultural production.

Consumer confidence comes from knowing that testing laboratories are competently and accurately testing the nutritional and contaminant content of our food/ feed at regulated levels, and that these measurement results are reliable and internationally comparable. Accreditation to the ISO 17025 standard provides for the demonstration of competence internationally as evidenced through regular participation in relevant proficiency testing schemes; and the use of certified reference materials (CRMs). Poor access and limited availability of the relevant CRM and PT scheme has often prevented laboratories from demonstrating the necessary competence.

NMISA is launching a Food and Feed Reference Material Programme in 2015/16 dedicated to providing measurement support to Food and Feed testing laboratories through the provision of relevant CRMs and Reference materials for PT Schemes. NMISA’s current food measurement capability includes the determination of: pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, dioxins, persistent organic pollutants, melamine, veterinary drug residues and fat profiling for meat authenticity.