Standard sample description for food and feed

Data collection is an important task of EFSA and a fundamental component of risk assessment (Articles 22 and 23 of Regulation EC No 178/2002). The Technical Working Group on Data Collection (TWG-DC) developed a guideline on the standard description of samples and analytical results (Standard Sample Description). The document provides specifications aimed at harmonising the collection from Member States of analytical measurement data for the presence of harmful or beneficial chemical substances in food, feed and water. The standard sample description includes a list of standardised data elements (items describing characteristics of samples or analytical results such as country of origin, product, analytical method, limit of detection, result, etc…), controlled terminologies and validation rules to enhance data quality. These can be used both by data providers and data recipients to accurately describe analytical samples for evaluation purposes. This work intends to develop a generalised model to harmonise the collection of a wide range of measurements in the area of food and feed safety assessment.