TEDINPRENHEDWThe Food and Environment Research Agency

ONTROLL

Protocol for Proficiency Testing Schemes

NOTC

Version 2, January 2012

Part 3 – FEPAS®
© Crown Copyright 2012

PREFACE
This Protocol is a series of inter-related documents. This document, Part 3, sets out specific details
for the Food Examination Performance Assessment Scheme (FEPAS®). Although this document
duplicates some of the text in Part 1 – Common Principles, it cannot be used in isolation. Part 3
must always be read in conjunction with Part 1 and vice versa.

VERSION HISTORYThis Protocol was completely revised in 2009, superseding all proficiency testing scheme Protocols
previously published by the Food and Environment Research Agency (previously, Central ScienceLaboratory), i.e. all previous editions of the separate FAPAS and FEPAS Protocols.

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Version 2 of January 2012, this version, supersedes Version 1 of November 2009. The changes are
as follows;IN

1.2 Amendments to reflect publication of standard ISO/IEC 17043 and compliance with its
requirements.

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3.1 Addition of procedure description for test material preparation and homogeneity testing.
Correction of verification of qualitative test materials. Addition of verification details being publishedin Reports.
3.3 Amendments to reflect electronic documentation and issuing of instructions for test samples.

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4 Yeasts and moulds assessment clarification.

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3.4 Electronic reports for sale, not hardcopy.

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CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION

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1.1. Fera, Defra, PTG and FAPAS

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1.2. Accreditation

4

2. ORGANISATION of FEPAS®

4

2.1. Management System

4

3. PARTICIPATION in SCHEMES

44

3.2. Dispatch and Receipt of Test Materials

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3.3. Analysis of Test Materials

53.4. Follow-Up Services

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3.1. Test Material Preparation and Homogeneity

4. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTNOTCONTROLLEDWHENPRIN

5. REFERENCES

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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Fera, Defra, PTG and FAPASThe Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) is an Executive Agency of the UK Government
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Fera provides a wide range ofproficiency testing (PT) schemes.
The management of these PT schemes is the sole task of one of many teams within Fera. Known
internally at Fera as the Proficiency Testing Group (PTG), this team provides Fera’s PT schemes
globally under the brand name of FAPAS PT. The Food Examination Performance Assessment
Scheme (FEPAS®) is one of these PT schemes.
For the purpose of this Protocol we use FAPAS PT to mean Fera PTG.

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1.2. Accreditation

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FEPAS® is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). Accreditation is conferred
upon FEPAS® in accordance with ISO/IEC 17043:2010 [1].

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The formal schedule of the accreditation can be obtained from the United Kingdom AccreditationService (UKAS) web site (Adobe PDF format) [2].

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2. ORGANISATION OF FEPAS®

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2.1. Management SystemTRO

The scope of accreditation covers all aspects of the PTs organised by FEPAS®:
Detection tests (qualitative)•

Enumeration tests (quantitative)•Single target organisms and combinations of target organisms•

Inclusion of background flora in most test materials, to simulate real samples

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•

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3. PARTICIPATION IN SCHEMES
3.1. Test Material Preparation and Homogeneity
All FEPAS® test material preparation and homogeneity testing is carried by subcontracting
laboratories. Details of test material preparation and homogeneity results are retained by FEPAS® but
no longer published in the reports. Verification of test materials for the qualitative PTs is carried out
by subcontracting laboratories. Verification results for the qualitative PTs are published in thereports.
Participants may contact FAPAS PT to request details of test material preparation and homogeneity
testing, where it is pertinent to their assessment. Such details may be released on request, except
where this compromises data which is commercial in confidence.

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3.2. Dispatch and Receipt of Test Materials
All FEPAS® test materials are sent to participants outside the UK by courier, and so can be tracked
on-line throughout their journey. It is the responsibility of the customer to anticipate an email on theday of dispatch advising them of the tracking number and then to monitor the progress of theirsamples. It is particularly important for non-UK participants to track their samples to ensure asmooth transit through their country’s Customs. FAPAS PT cannot be held responsible for delays
arising at Customs. Participants within the UK are sent their FEPAS® test materials by standard post.

3.3. Analysis of Test Materials
It is the responsibility of participants to read the instructions (provided electronically via email or
downloaded from the FAPAS PT website, www.fapas.com) and follow them exactly prior to
conducting the actual analysis of the test material. FEPAS® cannot be held responsible for any
problems arising from failure to comply with these instructions.

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3.4. Follow-Up Services

PRExample instructions are available on request from FEPAS®.

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Some of the FEPAS® test materials require preparation (usually re-hydration) by participants before
analysis. Instructions for this procedure can be downloaded from the FAPAS PT website. FEPAS®
PTs additionally have a timeframe (stipulated in the instructions) within which the analysis should becompleted, due to organism/matrix stability.

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FAPAS PT does not sell surplus test materials from the batches used for FEPAS® PTs (due to theirlimited shelf life).

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Most FEPAS® reports issued since 2000 are available for purchase. Prices are available on request.
Participants in all the FAPAS PT schemes have free access to an electronic copy of reports for thosetests for which they have registered. Electronic copies of reports are available on request and acharge will be made for these.

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If a participant wishes to obtain advice on any aspect of their performance they should contact
FEPAS® by email (info@fapas.com) in the first instance. Participants must note that FEPAS® may
offer assistance in the form of a broker service whereby FEPAS® will either anonymously or,subsequent to all parties agreeing to waive their confidentiality, pass on the participant’s inquiry to an
expert laboratory/external advisor.

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4. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTFEPAS® PTs for detections (qualitative assessments) express participants’ results as either satisfactory(S) or not satisfactory (NS), as compared to the intended result (for a spiked and verified testmaterial).
Enumeration FEPAS® PTs (quantitative assessments) express participants’ results as z-scores. The
assigned value is the consensus of participants’ valid results. Results reported by participants are firstlog transformed (to units of log10cfu/g), prior to the statistical assessment, to obtain the normaldistribution. Hence, the formula for calculation of z-scores is modified to;z=(log10 x − log10 xa )whereσpx is the participant’s reported result
xa is the assigned valueand

σp is the standard deviation for the proficiency test.
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The standard deviation for proficiency assessment is derived from retrospective FEPAS® data and avalue of 0.25 log10cfu/g is applied. This approach is supported by the Advisory Committee.

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A special assessment applies to yeasts and moulds, in which this is a combined qualitative andquantitative assessment. Participants will be assessed both on their ability to identify the correctorganism (qualitative, if appropriate to the test) and on their ability to enumerate the organism(quantitative).

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5. REFERENCES
ISO/IEC 17043:2010, Conformity assessment – General requirements for proficiency testing.

2

http://www.ukas.com/about-accreditation/accredited-bodies/proficiency-testing-organisations.asp

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TEDINPR
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LLTROONCTNOFAPAS FEPAS®
Proficiency Testing GroupThe Food and Environment Research Agency
Sand Hutton, YorkYO41 1LZ
UK
Tel:
Fax:
e-mail:web:+44 (0)1904 462100+44 (0)1904 462040
info@fapas.com
www.fapas.com

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