State General Laboratory Annual Report 2019

23 State General laboratory Annual Report 2019 OBJECTIVES FULFILLED IN 2019  Expansion of the control, monitoring and surveillance plans: Full implementation of the monitoring/surveillance/control programmes (in all 60) covering a total of 26,030 analysed samples with 545,271 parameters in 2019 (compared to 2018 where 25,639 samples were analysed with 523,446 parameters tested). The fact that both the number of samples and the number of parameters is higher than in 2018 shows the intensification and increase of the official controls due to the implementation of stricter legislation and the need of more targeted controls by the SGL in cooperation with the competent Authorities. The SGL continues to use multi-residual methods that analyse more parameters with fewer samples while giving a more representative picture of the sample’s situation and more effective control at a reduced cost, and to cover new parameters on a prioritisation basis.  Human Resource development through trainings (Cyprus Academy of Public Administration, BTSF, EU-FORA etc.) and educational programmes (16).  Infrastructure development and advancement of laboratory equipment (a total of € 796,900 was spent in purchasing state-of- the-art equipment or renewal of old equipment).  Enhancement of dietary risk assessment capacity with the use of its own deterministic model, "ImproRisk", to assess the risk from several substances (such as Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Nitrates, Acrylamide and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Aflatoxin B1 on food- the results were satisfactory and in line with EFSA’s respective risk assessments for Cyprus). Furthermore, through the completion of EFSA’s project "EU Menu" at national level in 2018, the SGL continued the processing and evaluation of Cypriot nutrition data and prepared a plan for conducting risk assessments through food with the actual food consumption data of the Cypriots.  Further development of the Information Technology (IT) Unit’s capacity and ability to: a) technically respond to EFSA’s requirements for data transmissions, and b) enhance the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) in order to improve the quality of the data. Furthermore, in 2019, the SGL evaluated the offers made for the purchase of new version of LIMS system, and contributed to the Cyprus "OPEN DATA" platform.  Effective contribution and support for the national policy / strategy in areas of its competence, among others, through its participation in relevant national Councils (10)-including the "Food Safety Council" and the "Cyprus National Addiction Authority", in national Committees (10) and in Technical Committees & Working Groups (6).