Fera and Waters Open International Food Safety Training Laboratory  

A major new international food safety training facility, aimed at improving compliance with EU food import standards, has been launched by The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) UK and analytical equipment manufacturer Waters®.

The Fera International Food Safety Training Laboratory ( FeraIFSTL), based near York, will primarily lead training programs that teach best practice methods to analysts from overseas, using technology and equipment for determining chemical contaminants and residues in food including the ACQUITY UPLC®-MS/MS systems, sample preparation components, and mycotoxin analysis tools.

Speaking as he formally opened the new Training Laboratory Lord de Mauley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords), said: “It’s very encouraging to see the public and private sectors working together to facilitate trade from outside the EU. This will improve food safety testing for food imported into the EU, ensuring food is safe before it reaches our tables.”

Fera Chief Executive, Adrian Belton, commented, “We welcome this opportunity to be able to pass on our expertise in food analytical testing. This is underpinned by over 30 years scientific experience in the area, together with detailed knowledge of current and emerging regulations, and internationally recognised quality standards.”

The Fera IFSTL is being launched as part of an international network of food safety training laboratories aimed at raising standards of food safety testing globally. The first IFSTL was opened in the United States in September 2011 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, University of Maryland and Waters®.

Said Waters Corp. Executive Vice President Art Caputo: “We are very pleased to partner with Fera in establishing this lab near York. We believe that this collaboration will lead to better science and technology, and this in turn will help us raise the bar on food safety. We know the scale of this challenge requires us to address it globally, which is why we are excited to expand the IFSTL network.”

Courses start in early 2013. For further information, please visit www.defra.gov.uk/fera/ifstl