Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and Latvia are continuing to exchange expertise in plant protection, laboratory diagnostics and food safety control.
Specialists from the Committee for Food Safety of Uzbekistan visited the Latvian Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment (BIOR) as part of a project aimed at developing the production and export of safe food products.
The Uzbek specialists familiarized themselves with BIOR’s laboratories, modern analytical methods and the organization of laboratory testing. Particular attention was paid to detecting pesticide residues in agricultural and food products.
Latvian specialists demonstrated methods for identifying chemical substances in samples, evaluating test results and ensuring the reliability of laboratory analyses.
According to BIOR, the institute’s laboratories have around 400 accredited analytical methods that comply with the requirements of the international ISO/IEC 17025 standard. The chemical laboratory examines food and environmental samples using methods including chromatography and mass spectrometry.
Monitoring pesticide residues is one of the elements of ensuring food safety.
Laboratory testing makes it possible to detect chemical substances that may remain in agricultural products after the use of plant protection products and to assess whether the products comply with established safety requirements.
As part of the exchange of expertise, the sides also discussed procedures for receiving samples and preparing them for testing, laboratory organization, quality management and ensuring the reliability of results.
The programme is aimed at improving the quality of laboratory diagnostics and strengthening the professional capacity of specialists, as well as developing the control mechanisms needed to produce and export safe agricultural products in line with international requirements.
