Anseong-si Recognized Internationally for Agricultural Residue Pesticide Analysis Capability

Excellence Certification in International Analytical Skills Assessment Hosted by UK FERA

Anseong City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 6th that it has been recognized for its excellence in pesticide residue analysis at the 2023 International Proficiency Testing (FAPAS · Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme) organized by the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA).

FAPAS is the world's largest proficiency testing program that evaluates various analytical capabilities of laboratories. It is internationally recognized and trusted, with government agencies, testing research institutes, and accredited laboratories from various countries participating to validate their analytical skills.

The city applied for FAPAS for the first time this year to verify the reliability and analytical capabilities of its newly established Agricultural Product Safety Analysis Laboratory, which began operations last year.

An employee is analyzing pesticide residues at the Agricultural Product Safety Analysis Laboratory in Anseong City.
[Photo by Anseong City]

This year's FAPAS, conducted from June 5 to July 24, involved 53 institutions worldwide. Anseong City submitted analysis results of eight pesticide components contained in the sample "lettuce pur?e."

The city explained that the FAPAS evaluation results showed all analyses were within the 'Z-SCORE ±0.1~1.0' range, indicating proficient analytical capability. The 'Z-SCORE' is a measure calculated by comparing the analytical results of each participating institution in the FAPAS proficiency test to determine the margin of error. The closer this value is to zero, the better the analytical result. FAPAS certifies analytical proficiency if the margin of error is within ±2.0.

Lee Chang-hee, head of the Eco-friendly Technology Division of Anseong City, said, “This evaluation has proven that the analytical capabilities of the Anseong City Safety Analysis Laboratory are at a global level. We will continue to enhance the laboratory’s reliability to provide consumers with safe and healthy food.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.