• Entrepreneurs
• Business information
• Certification
• CAFIA laboratories
• CAFIA opinions
• More information
• Consumers
• How to know the food market
• Results of CAFIA inspections
• Consumer rights
• List of risky sites
• Hoaxes
• Other visitors
• Press Releases
• Internships at CAFIA
• Public contracts

4. Laboratory Activities

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority performed physical, chemical, microbiological and sensory analyses in 2002, for the most part in its own laboratories. Four of seven CAFIA laboratories were reaccredited in the course of the year to meet and work in accordance with requirements of the standard EN ISO/IEC 17025, instead of the previously observed standard CSN EN 45001 (laboratories in Prague, Brno, Hradec Králové and Olomouc).

In the second half of 2002 the CAFIA top management adopted a strategic decision to reduce the existing number of seven laboratories to four only, maintaining the present range of analyses and rationalising the number of analyses to be performed with respect to potential positive detections of non-conformances in foodstuffs.

The individual inspectorates participated in transferring the working methods and instruments from laboratories, reducing their operations all through the last quarter of 2002. The laboratories to be closed down were in Hradec Králové (specialised in physical and chemical methods of analyses) and laboratories in Olomouc (specialised both in physical and chemical and also microbiological methods of analyses). Only four laboratories will cover the requests for food analyses in the years to come. The inspectorates also decided on the method of sampling and collection of food samples from the individual regions of the country with respect to capacities of the four laboratories and to elimination of potential sample degradation during transport.    Since 1993 CAFIA has been organising, on regular basis, the inter-laboratory comparison tests (the inter-laboratory proficiency testing system – ILPT) that have been included in the National comparison testing system. The organisation and assessment of the ILPT system are held in cooperation with the Czech Accreditation Institute. In 2002 the following rounds of the comparison tests were held:

• Determination of additives in wine (sorbic and citric acids, and sulphur dioxide)
• Determination of synthetic and natural dyes in concentrated beverages
• Determination of iodine and some minerals in food for special dietary uses
• Determination of heavy metals and selected inorganic elements in cans of meat
• Determination of organophosphate and chlorinated pesticides
• Determination of the selected microorganisms
• Classic methods of wine testing (alcohol, sugar, sugar-free extract and volatile acids)
• Determination of fats, proteins, humidity, and ash in meat cans

The CAFIA laboratories regularly take part in the international comparison tests – proficiency testing of the chemical and microbiological laboratories, as stipulated in the standard CSN EN ISO/IEC 17025 and as required by all European National Accreditation Authorities, which is the Czech Accreditation Institute (CAI) in this country (see the guidance note MPA 10-01-01).