The International Food Safety Training Laboratory (IFSTL) focuses on laboratory capacity building activities to ensure the safety of food and harmonization of analytical methods worldwide. IFSTL was created in partnership with the Waters Corporation and is dedicated to hands-on laboratory training in the area of chemical and microbial food safety.
Mission: Train in fit-for-purpose laboratory methods for food safety
IAFP 2017 has started! Don't miss JIFSAN's Chemistry Instructor Dr. Zhengfang Wang's poster showing today in room 15:
https://iafp.confex.com/iafp/2017/webprogram/Paper15000.html http://ow.ly/QXuY30dvvRm
As companies and consulting firms targeting the training needs associated with food safety, and more specifically, FSMA are being created in great...
Never too young to start learning science!
We are looking for feedback on how you have been applying what you learned at the IFSTL... Has it helped you implement a method, have you trained others, did you get a promotion???
Please share your success stories, either here for the world to see, or by sending me an email at [email protected].
One person who sends in their success story will be randomly selected to receive $1,000 discount for a future registration to one of our courses.
Thanks for helping us understand how the IFSTL can impact food safety worldwide!
Janie
We hosted the APEC Regional Workshop on laboratory capacity building n December 12-13 at the University of Maryland. Some 60 representatives from the region worked a prioritization strategy and defining the current priorities. Visit our webpage at ifstl.org to find out about new courses we will be offering to address the priorities defines.
Training in the detection and quantitation of veterinary drug residues just end last week! A great team of participants from Egypt, Iraq, Indonesia, Chile and Kenya worked side by side to conquer some of the most challenging analyses we have taught so far. Not only is extraction complicated by the fact that different groups need different procedures, some of these small molecules are also electrostatic and cross-contaminate very easily. But these challenges were no match for our terrific group who succeeded in their analysis with guidance from our wonderful FDA and USDA instructors and our very own Romina!
Congratulations IFSTL Vet Drugs Class of 2013!
IFSTL Vet Drug Residues Class of 2013!
Salmonella training at the IFSTL
Chemists can be a fun bunch :-))))
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Pesticide residue class, June 2013.
Final days for registration for the symposium "Analytical Methods for International Food Safety" to be held at the FDA June 12-13... A great networking opportunity and impressive panel of speakers.
Register at http://jifsan.umd.edu/events/event_record.php?id=98
The Food and Environmental Research Agency (Fera), United Kingdom, and the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), University of Maryland, jointly organize a series of annual symposia on food safety and applied nutrition. The theme of the 2013 symposium is "Analytical Methods...
False negative results in microbiology
A presentation at this week's American Society for Microbiology (ASM), where our very own Dr. Angela Winslow is, discussed some interesting results from a review of proficiency testing in food micro labs. Reported by HACCPEuropa at http://www.haccpeuropa.com/2013/05/21/are-food-laboratory-results-accurate/
Food microbiology laboratories continue to submit false negative results and false positive results on a routine basis.
What you are missing this week at the IFSTL...
We are hosting a training on Listeria monocytogenes. On Monday, Dr. Atin Datta from FDA described the organism and its amazing growth in high moisture ready to eat foods. Dr. Jennifer Beal from FDA CORE presented the processes involved in an outbreak investigation and the Healthy People 2020 goals for L. mono in the US. Dr. Michael Mahovic fom FDA CFSAN explained the role of risk analysis in outbreak investigation and introduced some potential implications of the new FSMA Produce Rule.
On Tuesday, Dr. Richard Kanwall, physician at FDA, discussed the difficulties faced in the diagnosis of listeriosis with its variety of symptoms that range from a belly ache to meningitis and sepsis...
You also missed presentations and discussions with Dr. Priya Rathnam, Dr. Mickey Parish, Dr. Yi Chen, Dr. Yuhuan Chen, and Dr. Eric Brown! It is a great week at the IFSTL!
We have more opportunities for learning coming soon. Please review the schedule at www.ifstl.org
A reminder of why we all work so hard in the field of food safety... Watch these videos published by the US FDA.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection/IndustryandRegulatoryAssistanceandTrainingResources/ucm345399.htm?source=govdelivery#zella1
In an effort to enhance retail food safety, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released three video testimonials. Less than 10 minutes each, the videos educate retail and foodservice employees on the possible, dire consequences of poor preparation practices and provide tips to prevent f...
Peanut company officials indicted in contamination case
WASHINGTON--Four former officials of the Peanut Corporation of America were named in a 75-count indictment Thursday on charges related to salmonella-tainted peanuts and peanut products.
International Food Safety Training Laboratory's cover photo
Congratulations to Laboratory of Health in Guatemala!
As reported by our friend Monica:
Gabriela Alvarez -izq-, Mónica Méndez y Vivian Pineda son las especialistas en métodos específicos y protocolos aprobados por la FDA a cargo de un nuevo método para detectar residuos de pesticidas en vegetales de exportación.
Por más de 20 años los vegetales frescos de exportación de Guatemala han estado enlistados por violación de los niveles máximos en residuos de plaguicidas, según la FDA. Uno de los mayores problemas ha sido que, hasta la fecha, Guatemala no contaba con un laboratorio con la capacidad analítica de diagnosticar los ingredientes activos de plaguicidas. Esto ha causado la persistencia del problema a tal punto, que en el 2012, más de 900 contenedores de producto de exportación fueron detenidos y destruidos, causando una pérdida de al menos 36 millones de dólares.
En el año 2005 USAID, en conjunto con USDA, firmó el acuerdo Participating Agency Program Agreement (PAPA), en la búsqueda de resolver algunos de los problemas sanitarios y fitosanitarios que impiden que los países del CAFTA-DR exporten sus productos a Estados Unidos. A partir de esa fecha y hasta el 2011 han otorgado 16 entrenamientos en temas tales como: Buenas practicas de Laboratorio, Control de Calidad, ISO 17025 y Bioseguridad entre otros, así como técnicas de diagnóstico aprobadas por FDA, EPA y USDA.
En el 2011 USAID firmó un nuevo acuerdo con USDA, en el cual se proporcionaron 3 entrenamientos para personal del Laboratorio Nacional de Salud de Guatemala, desarrollando un nuevo método que permite determinar 32 ingredientes activos de diferentes familias de plaguicidas, combinando el método de QuEChERS y la técnica UPLC-MASAS/MASAS .
El Laboratorio Nacional tiene contemplado iniciar a brindar el servicio a un costo aproximado de 200 dólares, a partir del 15 de febrero del 2013, con lo cual se beneficiara a muchos exportadores, quienes en la actualidad, envían sus muestras al extranjero.
Some changes in the IFSTL schedule of courses... Month
March: Drug Residues in Meat and Poultry
April: USDA and FDA methods for Shiga-toxin E. coli
May: Detection of Listeria Monocytogenes in Food
June: Pesticides Residues + Intro to Risk Analysis
August: Illegal dyes
September: Drugs Residues in Aquaculture Products
October: Salmonella and Campylobacter
October: Detection of Contaminants
November: Pesticides Residues + Intro to ISO 17025
December: Detection and Quantitation of Mycotoxins
Watch the video of ABC News segment on hand washing filmed at the IFSTL!
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/germs-hands-best-hand-sanitizer-bacteria/story?id=18412092
Sanitizers need at least 60 percent alcohol to be effective.
International Food Safety Training Laboratory's cover photo
Our very own lab was the set for the ABC WorldNews segment on hand washing tonight!! I'll post the link to the video when I find it, but here is the story: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/germs-hands-best-hand-sanitizer-bacteria/story?id=18412092
Sanitizers need at least 60 percent alcohol to be effective.
Great Networking Opportunity!
IFSTL is happy to offer free registration to the JIFSAN-Fera Symposium, held June 12-13, 2013 in the FDA Wiley Building, College Park, MD (USA), to all participants in the course "Method Development for Pesticide Residue Analysis and Use of Data in Risk Analysis".
The Symposium entitled "Analytical Methods and Laboratory Practices for International Food Safety" will feature speakers from FDA, Fera, EU Commission for Normalization, AOAC, ISO, Codex, other international organizations, industry and consumer groups.
For more info, contact us at [email protected]
Microbiology Fall 2012
More microbiology training at the IFSTL!!
Microbiology training at the IFSTL.
IFSTL participated in the Global Food Safety Partnership meeting in Paris. FDA blog has a nice summary and some pictures!!http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2012/12/improving-the-world-through-improved-food-safety/
Improving the World through Improved Food SafetyPosted on December 13, 2012 by FDA VoiceBy: Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.Food safety may seem an unusual issue for a lending institution created to encourage growth and reduce poverty in developing countries.Photo courtesy of the World BankThe World Bank, ...
Thank you INFAL!
INFAL (RILAA in Spanish) is the Inter American Network of Food Analysis Laboratories, a wonderful group of people dedicated to helping each other achieve the highest standards of analysis and facilitate trade. I was lucky enough to attend the biannual assembly as a observer, where I met great people. We hope to see you at the IFSTL soon! -Janie
Cochran fellow Heni stayed with us for 2 weeks to learn microbiological methods for food safety. We already miss you Heni!
A short article on the IFSTL just appeared in Food Safety News.
Read it at:http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/10/food-testing-classes-help-other-countries-build-trade-capacity/#.UGlFmEKSPBI
After one year in operation, the International Food Safety Training Lab is doing exactly what it was founded to do: train foreign scientists in leading food testing methods. But, like all fledgling programs, IFSTL has also adapted with experience, opening...
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland commemorates IFSTL’s one-year anniversary.
Read at: http://capitolwords.org/date/2012/09/10/E1458-2_commemorating-ifstl-for-its-one-year-anniversary-i/
Capitol Words explores the most popular words and phrases used by legislators in Washington. Search the data from 1996 to today by state, date or politician.
The American Botanical Council announces the IFSTL course on microscopic and chemical identification of botanicals. Visit: http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=19421.0&dlv_id=55461.
Tips in food safety for University of Maryland students are being published on the webpage of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. They are good tips for everyone, so we invite you to visit http://agnr.umd.edu/news/featuring-food-safety
Did you know one in six people in the United States gets sick from food in any given year? While some foodborne illnesses simply subject you to a temporary affinity for your toilet bowl, others can have more severe consequences such as kidney failure and even death.
New schedule of courses for 2013 now posted on www.ifstl.org/news. Registration will open at the end of September 2012.
JAN 15-17, 2013: Food Microbiology for Industry AnalystsFEB 25-MAR 1, 2013: Methods of Determination of MycotoxinsMAR 4-14, 2013: Methods of Determination of Drug Residue in Meat and PoultryAPR 22-26, 2013: Methods of Identification of Shiga-toxin E. coliAPR 29-MAY 3, 2013: Methods of Identification...
FoodShield video: Inside a Food Laboratory.
If anyone ever asked what you do, here is a video to show them!
https://www.foodshield.org/index.cfm/discover-tools-links/training-videos/inside-a-food-laboratory/
Inside a Food Laboratory:
IFSTL visits the National Institute for Food and Drug Control of China on February 13th, 2012+
IFSTL visits the National Institute for Food and Drug Control of China on February 13th, 2012+
FDA foreign posts, i.e. FDA staff posted in embassies and consulates around the world, play an important role in the safety of the food supply in the US. Read a short report of their activities at: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FSMA/ucm291803.htm
Report to Congress on the FDA Foreign Offices - FSMA Secion 308 (c)
JIFSAN's IFSTL Manager, Dr. Janie Dubois, provided input at the FDA Public Meeting on "International Capacity Building with regards to Food Safety". See what she had to say at www.ifstl.org/news
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a Public Meeting entitled, "International Capacity Building with Respect to Food Safety." The purpose of the Meeting was to provide interested persons an opportunity to discuss FDA's comprehensive plan to expand the technical, scientific, and regulato...
International Food Safety Training Laboratory's cover photo
Course Schedule for Fall 2012
September 24-28, 2012: Methods of Detection of Salmonella in Fresh Produce
October 1-5, 2012: Determination of E. coli EHEC in Produce and Meat
October 15-19, 2012: Dietary Supplements: Microscopic and Chemical Identification of Botanicals and Contaminants
November 5-14, 2012: Methods of Pesticide Residue Analysis, with a day focused on ISO 17025.
For info, visit www.ifstl.org/courses
Detection of Cronobacter in infant formula
Detection of Cronobacter in infant formula
Pesticide Residue Analysis -USDA Emerging Markets Program
Pesticide Residue Analysis -USDA Emerging Markets Program
Measurement of Mycotoxins
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