3 Jul 2023

AOAC Southeast Asia Section, in collaboration with AOAC INTERNATIONAL, is developing a new project on the analysis of pesticides, with the focus on multiresidue pesticide analysis in difficult food commodities such as herbs and spices.

The project will be introduced at the 2023 AOAC SEA 2nd Annual Conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We will commence it with two talks by Dr. Kaushik Banerjee (ICAR National Research Center for Grapes, India) and Ms. Edna C. Mijares (Jefcor Laboratories, Inc., Philippines) on analytical challenges of multi-residue pesticide analysis and how Codex Maximum Residue Limits are established and applied in the Southeast Asia region. This will be followed by a panel discussion with the speakers, Dr. Tran Cao Son (National Institute for Food Control, Vietnam; AOAC SEA Country Representative) and Dr. Annabelle Briones (Department of Science and Technology - Industrial Technology Development Institute, Philippines; AOAC SEA Harmonization of Methods Working Group Chair).

Register your interest by filling out the form or scanning the QR code above. We hope to see you at the conference!

Pesticide residues in primary food commodities and processed food products are among the contaminants being monitored globally. Establishment of Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) for pesticides is one of the requirements for authorization of a plant protection product. MRLs are very important trading standards and usually set much lower than the levels that would pose a risk to consumers. Codex standards and Codex guidelines play an important role in pesticide residue analysis. 

Ms. Edna C. Mijares will share how regulatory bodies and processes are established and implemented in the Republic of the Philippines. She will start with the Food Safety Act of 2013, which is strictly implemented and has strengthened the need for and importance of MRL establishment in foods and food products. The presentation will end with how the MRLs for various crops, foods, and food products are established in the Philippine National Standards (PNS) based on Codex MRLs. The audience will be hearing from the perspective of one of the leading testing laboratories in pesticide analysis in the Republic of the Philippines and a member of the Technical Working Group on policy development.

Dr. Kaushik Banerjee will talk about the evolution of residue analytical methods, analytical quality control guidelines for regulatory compliance, and the expanded scope of analysis to cover typically problematic single residue pesticides and their metabolites. The talk will emphasize how implementation of good laboratory practices helps in minimizing the false detect of pesticide residues in export consignments, and thus avoid economic losses. The speaker regularly contributes to the development and implementation of food safety standards in India. He is the Chairman of AOAC India Section, which was recognized with the 2021 AOAC INTERNATIONAL Section of the Year Award.

Pesticide residue is one of the major food safety issues in the South East Asian countries. The analytical community of this region often faces diverse challenges in implementing validated residue analytical methods for food testing to comply with the national and international MRLs.

The panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Erik Konings, will facilitate open discussions on the needs of pesticide analysis in the Southeast Asia region with the intention to support international trade.

To facilitate discussions and exchange of knowledge among different groups of stakeholders, the 2023 AOAC SEA 2nd Annual Conference will be conducted in both English and Vietnamese, with cabin translation throughout the 2-day event.

This is the chance for organizations and laboratories in Southeast Asia to learn from various international experts and connect with each other to establish linkages for future engagements and collaborations. We hope you can maximize the benefits of the conference and enjoy the professional bonding in this annual event. See you in 4 weeks!

DIAMOND SPONSOR

Merck

GOLD SPONSORS

Agilent

Romer Labs

Gold Standard Diagnostics / Eurofins

Bruker

Shimadzu

SILVER SPONSOR

SCIEX

Fujifilm

Waters / Navi Technologies

BRONZE SPONSOR

R-Biopharm

Neogen

COPPER SPONSORS

Abbott

Nestle

CONFERENCE BAG SPONSOR

Gerhardt

STUDENT TRAVEL AWARD SPONSOR

Abbott

We appreciate the generous support of the 2023 AOAC SEA Conference Sponsors who help bring the conference themed Facilitating Compliance for Food Safety and Quality in International Trade to the needed community in the region, and thus serve AOAC SEA's mission in convening government, industry and academia to develop and validate standards, methods and technologies, and ensure the safety and integrity of foods and other products that impact public health.

THANK YOU!

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