ANNUAL REPORT 2022 | 17 ACHIEVEMENTS – AWARDS ACHIEVEMENTS-IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMMES During 2022 the SGL achieved the following: 1. Great effectiveness, in cooperation with the respective competent authorities, in detecting non-compliant: – Foods: preventing their entry from third countries and EU Member States into the Cyprus and EU market (e.g. aflatoxins in nuts) by using appropriate preventive and effective control programmes at critical control points (e.g. imports check points), and – Other consumer products: identifying and withdrawing inappropriate consumer products from the Cyprus market (e.g. toys) and communicating the relevant information to the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products (RAPEX). 2. Extension of the scope of its accreditation as regards international standard EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 to new methods, new substrates and new parameters. Some of these methods/techniques are accredited with a flexible scope. 3. Expansion of the official controls to cover new parameters, products and categories such as: Foodstuffs’ area: – Pesticide residues laboratory, accredited under flexible scope, expanded its analytical scope to new combinations food/pesticides. – Microbiological safety of milk powder and “home-made” cereal bars from cafeterias. – Determination of the quantity of water in frozen chickens (investigate possible adulteration). – Authenticity control of fish expanded to squid, octopus and hake. – New standard methods were applied for the detection of genetically modified organisms. – Adulteration control of coffee, flour and spices. Consumer/Industrial Products Safety – Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs and SCCPs) in consumer products made out of soft plastic. – Accreditation of two new methods for determination of heavy metals in food supplements and cosmetics. – Extension of the scope of accreditation, as regards preservatives in cosmetics, with the introduction of two new parameters (salicylic acid and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid) and a new substrate (cream). Environmental Safety – Ecotoxicology: New method for the determination of the quantity of chlorophyll α (indicator for monitoring of ecological situation of waters) in dams and natural lakes. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 % samples above maximum limits 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2010 2012 2007 2008 2009 All critical points Market 2021 2022 Chart 2: Aflatoxins’ control of nuts (2007-2022)
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