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About Us

Fapas is a world renowned accredited proficiency testing provider, supporting the food and water testing industries since 1990.

We support laboratories to help them to achieve the quality of analysis demanded of them by their customers, accreditation bodies and managers.

Learn about the 30 years of Fapas

 

We supply hundreds of proficiency tests a year to thousands of laboratories across all continents of the world, except Antarctica.  We supply real matrix test samples for all routine analytical disciplines in the fields of food chemistry, food microbiology, genetically modified materials, drinking water chemistry and microbiology, environmental chemistry and microbiology.

Our reputation as the highest quality proficiency testing provider precedes us.  We are the benchmark against which other schemes are measured.  The evidence for this is in the scientific literature, both peer reviewed publications in analytical journals and in conference proceedings.  Our schemes helped to define the IUPAC International Harmonized Protocol for the Proficiency Testing of Analytical (Chemistry) Laboratories (1993 and revised in 2006).

 

How can we help you? 

We publish an annual programme of proficiency tests that laboratories can register for.  There is no limitation on the number or frequency of tests that you subscribe to.  In the majority of cases, there is no limitation on the method that you should apply, nor any limitation on your status of accreditation.  In fact, many laboratories use Fapas to build the case for their accreditation application as well as to maintain their ongoing accreditation status.

Our friendly customer service team is available by telephone or email to help guide you with any questions you might have.  In many countries, we have agents acting on our behalf who can help with registration, answering questions in your own language and facilitating payment in your local currency.  We also help customers with interpretation of performance assessments.

If we don’t offer exactly the proficiency test that you are seeking, please contact us.  We offer a flexible approach to customisation of proficiency tests to suit your particular needs and also offer bespoke schemes for your network of laboratories.  We have extensive experience of the international analytical testing industry.

 

What makes Fapas different to other providers? 

We have a highly rigorous approach to our data analysis which takes into account all the potential major variables that might affect the data.  For a detailed technical breakdown, all the information is in our Protocols, which you can freely download from our website.  In essence, we don’t take a generic statistical model.  We treat each set of data as unique and novel and makes sure that results are compliant with the relevant conventions (for example, recovery correction in contaminants analysis or the correct hydrolysis step for total fat).  Our statistical approach is always based on the existing science for the analysis in question.  Where the data don’t make scientific sense, we say so – we never hide behind questionable scoring systems.

 

It’s not just proficiency tests that we offer. 

We also have quality control samples and reference materials available.  The quality control samples are the leftover samples from the proficiency tests.  Their primary use is to assist investigations into poor performance in the associated proficiency tests.  If you need something that provides a higher degree of accuracy, for method validation or matrix calibration, then our reference materials are better suited.  All of our products will help with the generation of control charts for your laboratory.  Alternatively, use the control chart function that is already built into the secure page of our website.  This is unique to your login and generates a quick visual representation of your performance in our proficiency tests over the years.