Proficiency tests for contaminants in food and herbal medicine in the Asia Pacific region

Proficiency-test (PT) programs organized by Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation have been recognized as supporting mutual recognition arrangement amongst member laboratories for more than 15 years. Responding to the needs of laboratories in the region, several recent programs have had specific focus on food and herbal medicine testing. This article describes the overall performance of participating laboratories and the operation of three related PTs for trace elements, organochlorine pesticides and veterinary drugs. We also discuss the effectiveness of the PT programs and the assessment trends in PTs.