Developing new reference materials for effective veterinary drug-residue testing in food-producing animals

Reliable analysis of veterinary drug residues in animal-derived foodstuffs represents an important measure to ensure consumer protection. European legislation addresses this issue (e.g., by defining maximum residue limits, specifying sampling and monitoring plans, and stipulating performance and validation criteria for analytical methods). Certified reference materials (CRMs) constitute an important tool for method validation and method-performance verification. This paper addresses the current status of legislation, describes characteristics of analytical methods in veterinary drug-residue testing and then focuses on the challenges and considerations in developing new RMs in this field.