In a press release, AOAC INTERNATIONAL (AOAC) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in June. This MOU establishes a strategic framework for developing, validating, and recognizing methods FSIS laboratories, as well as regulated establishments, use to verify the effectiveness of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) based food safety systems.
FSIS is part of a science-based national public health system to ensure food safety and food defense in the United States. FSIS ensures food safety through the authorities of the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act, as well as humane animal handling through the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.
“This new MOU with FSIS marks a pivotal step forward in our shared commitment to promote public health,” said David B. Schmidt, AOAC Executive Director. “By strengthening our collaboration, we are facilitating an even more resilient food safety system—one that ensures regulatory testing is backed by science, vigilance, and trusted methods.”
The MOU outlines how AOAC and FSIS will work together cooperatively where mutual interests have been identified, including collaboration on scientific method training and other educational initiatives; development of Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs®) documents, validation guidance and/or method validation protocols; development of proficiency testing programs; and adoption or certification of methods for specific regulations or monitoring programs, such as Salmonella quantification. Once methods are validated through AOAC Official Methods of AnalysisSM (OMA) or Performance Tested MethodsSM (PTM) programs, there will be greater confidence that methods are fit for purpose and can be used by FSIS laboratories and constituents for applicable testing needs.
“The involvement of FSIS experts in the development of AOAC standards and evaluation of methods submitted for method conformity assessment through AOAC OMA and PTM programs is very important for ensuring their fitness for purpose from both scientific and regulatory perspectives,” said Katerina Mastovska, Ph.D., AOAC Deputy Executive Director and Chief Science Officer.
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