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The Food and Environment Research Agency

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Protocol for Proficiency Testing Schemes

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Version 2, January 2012

Part 2 – FAPAS®
© Crown Copyright 2012

PREFACE
This Protocol is a series of inter-related documents. This document, Part 2, sets out specific details
for the Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS®). Although this document duplicatessome of the text in Part 1 – Common Principles, it cannot be used in isolation. Part 2 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
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3.1 Additional clarification of test material preparation and homogeneity testing details
3.3 Amendments to reflect electronic documentation and issuing of instructions for test samples

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3.4 Reference to website for QC sales and electronic report sales

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4. Clarification of procedures in deriving assigned values and addition of qualitative assessments.
References for standard deviations in Reports.

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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

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2. ORGANISATION of FAPAS®

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2.1. Management System

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3. PARTICIPATION in SCHEMES

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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 FAPAS®
The 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. FAPAS® is itself one of these PT schemes and is anacronym for Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme.

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For the purpose of part 1 of this Protocol we use FAPAS PT to mean Fera PTG. For the purpose ofpart 2 of this Protocol, i.e. this document, we additionally use FAPAS® to mean the Food Analysis
Performance Assessment Scheme.

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1.2. Accreditation

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

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

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2.1. Management System

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2. ORGANISATION OF FAPAS®

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The scope of accreditation covers all aspects of the PTs organised by FAPAS®, and is listed in theUKAS schedule [2].

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3. PARTICIPATION IN SCHEMES
3.1. Test Material Preparation and Homogeneity
Test materials are prepared for FAPAS® by subcontracting laboratories. The homogeneity testing
may be done by the same laboratory or a different subcontracting laboratory. Details of test material
preparation and homogeneity results are retained by FAPAS® but no longer published in the reports.
Homogeneity testing procedures and evaluation of the results are in keeping with thoserecommended in the International Harmonized Protocol [3]. The identity of the subcontracting
laboratories is confidential.
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 or where such knowledge isscientifically invalid in the interpretation of assessments.

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3.2. Dispatch and Receipt of Test Materials
FAPAS® test materials may be sent either by normal post, or by courier where time limitations areimposed. Such time limitations usually arise when an analyte/matrix combination is temperaturesensitive or stable for only a limited period of time. Such test materials are indicated on theprogramme of PTs. To facilitate speedy delivery of samples, participants should make use of on-line
tracking services. It is the responsibility of the customer to anticipate an email on the day of dispatch
advising them of the tracking number and then to monitor the progress of their samples. It isparticularly important for non-UK participants to track their samples to ensure a smooth transit
through their country’s Customs. FAPAS® cannot be held responsible for delays arising at Customs.

3.3. Analysis of Test Materials

INExamples of instructions are available on request from FAPAS®.

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It is the responsibility of participants to read the instructions (provided electronically, downloaded
from the FAPAS PT website, www.fapas.com) and to follow them exactly, prior to conducting theactual analysis of the test material. FAPAS® cannot be held responsible for any problems arising fromfailure to comply with these instructions.

PR3.4. Follow-Up Services

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After a PT has been completed and values for analyte concentrations assigned, surplus PT test
materials may be purchased for use as “quasi-reference” quality control materials. It must be
stressed that such test materials are not Certified Reference Materials. Certified Reference Materials
for the food analysis sector, however, are not numerous and surplus FAPAS test materials may be
the only source of a suitable quality control material.

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The PT report will indicate if surplus test materials are available. Alternatively, a list of surplus testmaterials that can be purchased after the test closing date is available from the website,www.fapas.com.

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Most reports issued since the launch of FAPAS in 1990 are available for purchase, and prices areavailable on request. Participants in all of the FAPAS PT schemes have free access to an electronic
copy of reports for those tests for which they have registered. Electronic copies of reports areavailable on request and a charge 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
FAPAS PT by email (info@fapas.com) in the first instance. Participants must note that FAPAS PT may
offer assistance in the form of a broker service whereby FAPAS PT 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.

4. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
All FAPAS® PTs express participants’ quantitative results as z-scores. Exhaustive details of thederivation of the assigned value are not included in Reports. Unless otherwise detailed in Reports,
participants may assume that a full assessment of the assigned value by robust mean, median ormode has been carried out. The standard deviations for proficiency assessment may be derived
either from the modified Horwitz equation [4], collaborative trial data, regulation, or a fitness-forpurpose RSDR provided by expert opinion. Relevant references will be detailed in Reports. For sometests (e.g. pesticides, vet drugs), if a participant fails to report an analyte and their limit ofdetermination (or limit of quantification or CCβ) is less than the level required to obtain a z-score of –2, the result will automatically be assigned to zero.
Qualitative results may be assessed either against the answer anticipated by formulation or against
the majority consensus of participants’ results. Where results are assessed against the formulation,
they are expressed as either “satisfactory” or “not satisfactory”. Where results are assessed against
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the consensus, they are expressed as either “agree” or “disagree” with the consensus. For sometests (e.g. pesticides or colours), there will be an additional table in the report detailing analytes
found by participants that were not part of the test (i.e., false positives).

Page 6 of 85. REFERENCES
ISO/IEC 17043:2010, Conformity assessment – General requirements for proficiency testing.

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

3Thompson, M., Ellison, S.L.R. and Wood, R., 2006, The International Harmonised Protocol for
the Proficiency Testing of Analytical Chemistry Laboratories, Pure Appl. Chem., 78 (1), 145–196.

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Thompson, M., 2000, Recent trends in inter-laboratory precision at ppb and sub-ppb
concentrations in relation to fitness for purpose criteria in proficiency testing, Analyst, 125, 385386.

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FAPAS®
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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