Selecting proficiency testing schemes and using its results in food testing

Abstract

Proficiency testing (PT) is an objective tool to assess the laboratory’s performance. Participation in PT helps laboratories self-monitoring and self-evaluating the reliability of results. Nowadays, together with the development of laboratories, the demand of participating PT schemes is increasing, and there are variety of PT providers and PT schemes correspondingly. Hence, without of appropriate criteria for selection of PT schemes and the purposes of participating PT, time, money and effort could be excessively consumed, especially for laboratories that perform numerous different tests. In this study, principles for choosing appropriate PT schemes and using the PT results effectively for laboratories, particularly in food testing laboratories were provided.