41 / 106
2014-2015 OMB Report, Page
1
of
2
D
ATE
:
30 September 2015
T
O
:
AOAC INTERNATIONAL Membership
F
ROM
:
S
HAUNA
R
OMAN
– C
HAIR
, O
FFICIAL
M
ETHODS
B
OARD
S
UBJECT
:
AOAC Official Methods Board Annual Report
The past year has been a very busy and productive year for the Official Methods Board (OMB). As
expected, OMB decisions and actions have been centered on maintaining the highest scientific integrity
of the Association’s standards and methods
The specific actions summarized below were completed via 13 conference calls, 3 face-to-face
meetings, and numerous emails and side conversations. The participation in these activities and the
outcome of our discussions clearly demonstrate the dedication of the members of OMB.
The AOAC method validation pathway has established itself as a complete and efficient protocol to
recognize methods as AOAC Official Methods of Analysis. The OMB continues to be an active and
vital part of this process. All Stakeholder voting panels, Stakeholder chairs, and ERP members are
vetted by the OMB. The vetting reviews are in-depth to assure that the panels consist of experts in all
needed areas of expertise, represent a balance of the different sectors, and are free of any conflicts of
interest. Liaisons from OMB have also been assigned to each Stakeholder and Expert panel to support
the process.
In support of AOAC's goal of continual improvement, the OMB revised the Official Methods Program
Awards to more accurately reflect the current Official Methods Pathway. The revisions were presented
and approved by the BOD.
Over the past year, members of the AOAC Analytical Laboratory Accreditation Criteria Committee
(ALACC) worked to update the
AOAC Internationals Guidelines for Laboratories Performing
Microbiological and Chemical Analysis of Food and Pharmaceuticals.
The update is in response to
numerous requests for clarifications from laboratories, accrediting bodies and assessors. The revised
document was approved by OMB.
The first term of four (4) OMB members come to a close this year. Two OMB members, Shang-Jing
(Jean) Pan (Abbott Nutrition) and Perry Martos (University of Guelph) opted not to pursue a second
term as a member of the OMB. I would like to thank both Jean and Perry for their hard work and
dedication to the OMB. They will both be missed.
OMB MEETING MATERIALS - October 1, 2015
31