APEC SELF-FUNDED PROJECT INFORMATION
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Project Synopsis – maximum 2 pages
Objective: What does the project seek to achieve?
The program will support an extensive data collection and assessment process for narrowing the
focus of laboratory priority needs in the APEC region. Existing materials, including
recommendations from the APEC/PTIN Experts Working Group (EWG) on Food Safety meeting in
Washington, DC in May 2010, as well as World Bank and APEC Specialist Regional Bodies
(SRBs) studies, will be used to supplement the assessment process. The needs assessment will
serve as an integral tool in determining the direction of laboratory technical assistance for the next
several years. In the short term, a workshop will be conducted where the assessment team will
present the most pertinent topics in laboratory development as well as address the concept:
“Global Context of Food Safety.” The workshop will be conducted in one of the APEC emerging
market economies and invitations will be extended to all APEC member economies, with travel
support provided to eligible emerging markets.
Performance Measures: Performance will be measured by the following criterion:
1. Development of a comprehensive needs assessment tool for APEC emerging market
laboratories involved with testing imported and exported agricultural products.
2. Identification, prioritization, and sequencing of specific needs by the laboratories, including but
not limited to: laboratory management, quality assurance, quality control, standard operating
procedures, information systems, analytical methods, equipment, personnel, and specific
testing methods.
3. Development of a model workshop that can be replicated in the region by other APEC
economies.
4. Support shown for the workshop by academia, private sector and APEC member governments.
5. Enhanced knowledge of workshop participants (measured via workshop survey).
6. Increased regional understanding of APEC positions and trade policies supporting regulations
based on sound science and in accordance with international standards.
Relevance: How does the project meet the priorities of your forum and APEC as a whole?
Why should APEC undertake this project?
Food safety is critically important to achieving the larger APEC goals of improved public health,
food security and greater trade and investment in the region. Attaining the high-level food safety
assurance systems that are the foundation of international best practice, however, requires a well
functioning standards and conformance infrastructure. In particular, the laboratory infrastructure is
integral to the hazard identification and control validation protocols essential to maintaining the food
safety standards contained in rigorous food safety assurance systems.
FSCF identified laboratory capacity building as a priority in the 2007-2011 plan to strengthen food
safety standards and practices in the APEC region. The FSCF’s plan to strengthen food safety
standards seeks to build on, and not duplicate, the work of other organizations. Several
international and regional organizations, including notably the Specialist Regional Bodies (SRBs) in
APEC, have collective mandates and established programs aimed at building institutional and
human laboratory capacity to advance food safety. Still, the scope of needs and the challenges to
sustained success are considerable. Participants in the activities of the FSCF/PTIN have shown
considerable interest in identifying ways in which the partnerships developed through the FSCF
PTIN can be used to support the efforts of other organizations in strengthening laboratory capacity
-- including by building on the outcomes and “lessons learned” of past activities and by catalyzing
resources and momentum to advance ongoing programs.
Specifically, the FSCF/PTIN EWG on Food Safety in May 2010 was convened to develop a
roadmap to improve the accessibility, effectiveness and use of training material on international
standards and best practices relating to food safety, including in the area of laboratory capacity.
The report of the EWG outlines the infrastructure prerequisites (including access to stable sources
of funding, water, electricity, metrology resources and reference standards/materials); delineates
eleven segments of training needs (including setting the global context of food safety, needs
assessment, safety, quality assurance, metrology, sampling, management, accreditation, analytical
methods, data analysis, and maintenance/troubleshooting); and provides an initial survey of
available training material. Building on this work, as well as the considerable work undertaken by
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the APEC SRBs, this project seeks to strengthen the standards and conformance infrastructure
that underpins food safety by making a positive contribution to advancing laboratory capacity.
Methodology: How do you plan to implement the project?
In April 2011, a working group comprised of experts from the U.S., China, and Australia, consisting
of a representative mix of government, academia, and industry experts, will be identified to collect
current assessment findings, and to create data collection tools and needs assessment
questionnaires necessary to execute a comprehensive evaluation of the laboratory capacity status
and needs of the APEC region in the eleven targeted areas identified by the May 2010 EWG on
Food Safety. The assessment will potentially include laboratories focused on: pesticide residues;
additives and mycotoxins; pathogenic microorganisms; and veterinary drug residues in foods. The
working group will then synthesize the data collected and prepare the findings for presentation at a
workshop. The workshop will also focus on one of the primary areas identified by the EWG on
Food Safety: To build understanding of the role of laboratory testing in support of food safety
systems and global trade.
Timeline:
Dates are projected; targeted dates of implementation may change as projects, expert availability,
and political situations develop during programming.
Project
Drafting Group Meeting #1
Needs Assessment
Drafting Group Meeting #2
APEC Regional Laboratory Capacity Building
Workshop
Projected Dates
April 2011
April-August 2011
August 2011
September 2011
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