National Institute of Standards and Technology

Food Nutrition & Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program

100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8392

Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8392

E-mail: QAPHUB@nist.gov

Website: https://qa-hub.nist.gov

January 21, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for your interest and/or past participation in NIST Quality Assurance Programs (QAPs). A call 

for participants in Exercise 2 of the Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program 

(FNSQAP) is now open. FNSQAP is designed to assist laboratories in the development and validation of 

new analytical methods, in improving the quality of their analytical measurements, and in supporting 

compliance with a number of federal regulations enforced by the US FDA, USDA, and other international 

bodies. Exercise 2 of FNSQAP will offer opportunities for participants to measure mass fractions of 

nutritional and toxic elements, water- and fat-soluble vitamins, fatty acids, and contaminants in food 

matrices, including infant formula and related materials distributed by NIST. Laboratories may elect to 

participate in some or all studies (e.g., only nutritional elements and water-soluble vitamins) or report 

only selected analytes (e.g., chromium, but not molybdenum and selenium), as applicable to the work 

done in their laboratories.

Participation in FNSQAP is free of charge, although participants will be required to pay for the cost of 

sample shipment by providing NIST with a shipping account number using UPS, FedEx (including TNT), 

or DHL. International participants must provide an import shipping account number, if applicable. 

Participants are responsible for all incurred shipping charges, including those that may result from 

shipments being returned to NIST because of customs clearance issues. In no cases are participants paid 

to participate in FNSQAP.

Instructions for sign up for new and existing NIST QAP participants are attached. Registration will open 

on January 24, 2022 and will close on March 4, 2022. Samples will be distributed in 

late March/early April 2022.

We hope that within this exercise you will find studies that are of interest and use to your laboratory. 

Future FNSQAP studies may address additional food safety areas such as authenticity, protein food 

allergens, and microbial contaminants, as needs are identified. If you have any suggestions for studies 

or would like more information regarding FNSQAP and other NIST QAPs, please send your request to 

QAPHUB@nist.gov or visit https://qa.nist.gov.

Please let us know if you have questions. We look forward to your participation in this and future 

FNSQAP exercises.

Best regards,

FNSQAP Team
NIST Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program Exercise 2 - Spring 2022

Food Nutrition & Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program (FNSQAP)

Exercise 2 – Spring 2022

Nutritional Elements

Chromium, molybdenum, and selenium are essential minerals that are required for the human

body to function properly. To reduce the burden of chronic diseases caused by a deficiency or

excess intake, accurate assessments of these elements in foods such as infant formula is

necessary to better understand the connections between dietary intake, nutritional status, and

health outcomes at both the individual and population levels.

Analytes

Cr, Mo, Se

Samples

Infant Formula

Toxic Elements

Potential uptake of toxic elements from the growing environment or processing may lead to 

contamination of plant-based foods and consumption of these contaminated foods can cause 

illness, impairment, or, at high doses, death. There are finding of the presence of toxic metals in 

cacao and chocolate products. Accurate testing of these environmental toxins in ingredients and 

foods can help ensure product safety and customer confidence in the food supply.

Analytes

Cd, Pb

Samples

Powdered Cacao, Chocolate Drink Mix

Water-Soluble Vitamins

Choline is an essential nutrient that plays a role in liver function, normal brain development, 

muscle movement, nerve function, metabolism, and sleep. Carnitine, a group of compounds 

derived from amino acids, plays a role in energy production, and found in the skeletal and cardiac 

muscles which utilize fats for fuel. These essential nutrients provided to infants via infant formula 

for proper development. Accurately understanding the intake of choline and carnitine through 

measurement in fortified foods can inform future decisions about recommended dietary intakes.

Analytes

Choline, Carnitine

Samples

Infant Formula

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Carotenoids are a group of compounds essential for eye health. They have also been associated 

with antioxidant activity and with reduced risk of several different types of diseases, such as 

various types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Some carotenoids, such a β-Carotene are 

considered provitamin A and will convert to retinol in the body. Accurately understanding the 

intake of carotenoids through measurement in fortified foods can inform future decisions about 

recommended dietary intakes.

Analytes

β-Carotene, Lutein, Lycopene

Samples

Infant Formula
NIST Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program Exercise 2 - Spring 2022

Fatty Acids

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) are fatty acids found in breast milk and 

play important roles in early infant development. When DHA is added to infant formulas,

corresponding amounts of ARA are required by regulation. Accurate methods are needed for the 

detection of DHA and ARA to meet these regulatory criteria, to understand the intake of DHA 

and ARA through fortified foods, and to inform future decisions about recommended dietary 

intakes.

Analytes

DHA, ARA

Samples

Infant Formula

Contaminants I

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide and the most widely applied herbicide in the US. 

Worldwide experts have not reached a consensus on the human toxicity of glyphosate and 

monitoring of human exposure is a critical component of understanding population health 

impacts. For this monitoring to be effective, accurate methods are needed for the detection of 

glyphosate in agricultural products.

Analytes

Glyphosate, AMPA, 

n-Acetyl-glyphosate, N-Acetyl-AMPA

Samples

Turmeric, Cat Food

Contaminants II

Phthalates are a family of man-made chemicals used in a variety of industrial applications that

are considered endocrine disruptors and have been linked to adverse health effects. Food 

packaging and other food contact materials can lead to substantial phthalate concentrations in 

foods and increase global phthalate exposure through dietary intake. Accurate methods are 

needed for the detection of phthalates in food products in order to assess exposure routes and 

health impacts associated with specific phthalate compounds.

Analytes

Phthalates

Samples

Infant Formula, Powdered Cheese
NIST Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program Exercise 2 - Spring 2022

Registration Instructions

For New NIST QAP Participants

To participate, first request an account by navigating to https://qa-hub.nist.gov and clicking Request new 

account. Your account request will be approved by a program administrator, after which you will receive 

an automated confirmation email with login information. Please modify the temporary password 

immediately upon logging in to the system and confirm or update your contact information on the My 

account page. All participants are required to provide shipping account information (e.g., FedEx/TNT, 

UPS, DHL), to which the cost of sample shipment will be charged. Your account will not be approved until 

a valid shipping account is provided. Next, log in to your account at https://qa-hub.nist.gov. Click Enroll 

to upcoming exercises on the top menu or scroll to the bottom section under Upcoming exercises and 

click the blue button for Apply for exercises. and select the studies of interest to your laboratory, then

click the blue button for Save and confirm. Your participation request will be approved by a program 

administrator, and you will receive an automated confirmation email. Study selections can be modified 

at any time up until the close of the registration period.

For Existing NIST QAP Participants (DSQAP, HAMQAP, and/or CannaQAP)

Navigate to https://qa-hub.nist.gov and click Reset your password. Enter the email address associated 

with your registration on a previous QAP site, and click the blue Submit button. You will then receive an 

automated email with instructions to reset your password. Please confirm or update your contact 

information on the My account page (access via the black menu bar) using the red My laboratory settings 

tab at the top. To participate, click Enroll to upcoming exercises on the top menu or scroll to the bottom 

section under Upcoming exercises and click the blue button for Apply for exercises. and select the studies 

of interest to your laboratory, then click the blue button for Save and confirm. Your participation request 

will be approved by a program administrator, and you will receive an automated confirmation email. 

Study selections can be modified at any time up until the close of the registration period. All participants 

are required to provide shipping account information (e.g., FedEx/TNT, UPS, DHL), to which the cost of 

sample shipment will be charged. Your participation request will not be approved until a valid shipping 

account is provided.