Haenam-gun’s Excellence in Residual Pesticide Analysis Meets International Standards

Assurance of Safe Agricultural Product Manufacturing through Participation in International Skill Competitions

Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do participated in the Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS) and received a "satisfactory" rating, proving the excellence of its pesticide residue analysis capabilities to the world.

According to the county on the 25th, FAPAS is the world's largest "international proficiency testing" program organized by the UK's Food and Environment Research Agency. Every year, government agencies, universities, and private analysis institutions from around the world participate to gain recognition for their international analytical capabilities.

Haenam-gun Office Building Exterior View

In this evaluation, Haenam-gun distributed the same sample (sweet potato puree) to 39 analysis institutions worldwide and was assessed based on the submitted pesticide residue analysis results.

The evaluation is based on the z-Score (comparative evaluation) value, and a score within ±2 is considered satisfactory. Haenam-gun received very high comparative evaluation values ranging from 0.1 to 0.7 for pesticide component analysis of 14 substances, securing reliability comparable to international institutions.

Through participation in this evaluation, Haenam-gun not only enhanced the reliability of local food quality but also improved the safety of agricultural products through the Agricultural Product Safety Analysis Center established in 2018.

The center conducts 1,500 analyses annually, and farmers can collect 0.5 to 1 kg of agricultural products and request inspections.

A county official stated, "We will participate in professional institution training every year to maintain the highest level of pesticide residue analysis capabilities," adding, "We will do our best to improve quality competitiveness, increase farmers' income, and secure consumer trust through safe agricultural products."

Haenam-gun is expected to continue efforts for ongoing improvement and strive to maintain service and quality that meet international standards.