Nordic Committee on Food Analysis

is a Nordic organization founded s early as 1947, and consists of food analysts - microbiologists, chemists and sensory analysts - from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The committee's primary objective is to select, validate, approve and publish methods for the analysis of foods. Performance characteristics are initially assessed in collaborative studies, arranged by NMKL or other cooperating international organizations. In recent years, the establishment of procedures and guidelines regarding quality assurance has been added to on NMKLs working programme. 

In accordance with an agreement with the Nordic Council of Ministers, NMKL coordinates the Nordic collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) regarding food analysis. In addition, NMKL plays significant role as a forum for discussion and meeting, for Nordic food analysts.

Since November 1997, the Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway, has been the host institution for the NMKL secretariat. Formerly, the Secretariat has been located in respectively Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The General Secretariat administers NMKL's day-to-day work; its Secretary General is elected for a term of  4 years.

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Each Nordic country has a national committee representing the government, local food authorities, industry and other relevant scientific institutions. Each national comittee has a chairperson and a secretary.  The committees administer assigned priority at NMKL's Annual General Meeting.  Current topics on the working programme are discussed at the Annual General Meeting, which is open to all members, as well as to experts and observers invited by the National Committees or by NMKL. The meetings are hosted in turn by each of the member countries.

	Nordisk Metodik Komité for Levnedsmidler
	Pohjoismainen elintarvikkeiden metodiikkakomitea
	Norræna matvælarannsóknanefndin
	Nordisk Metodikkomité for Næringsmidler
	Nordisk Metodikkommitté för Livsmedel
	Nordic Committee on Food Analysis

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The activities of NMKL are organized into four subcommittees, each covering different aspects of the field.

Each of the sub-committee appoints a chairperson, who sits for a term of four years. 

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NMKL cooperates with other organizations active in the field of food analysis methods e.g. ISO, CEN, AOAC INTERNATIONAL and IDF (International Dairy Federation).

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• A national committee or the secretary general i soriented on the need for a method. 
• If a majority on the national committees are in agreement, a referee, with relevant and specific knowledge and experience on the subject of interest, is appointed.
• A co-referee is appointed from the referee's national committee, in order to facilitate the work.
• In addition, a contact person is appointed by each national committee to assist and support the referee, and whom the referee shall consult when drafting the method.
• The referee carries out a literary study, chooses and optimises method(s) and prepares a draft.
• The national committees review and approve the draft.
• The referee prepares a plan for the method performance study.
• The secretary general and chairman in the sub-committee of interest, approve the plan.
• The national committees appoint laboratories to participate in the collaborative study.
• The referee distributes the samples to the participating laboratories.
• The referee performs a statistical analysis on the analytical results, and prepares a report on the study.
• The Annual General Meeting approves the method and the study report.
• The method is translated into Finnish and English (in addition to the Scandinavian language)
• The method is published.

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At present there are about 120 NMKL methods. The methods are published in Danish, Norwegian or Swedish and in English and Finnish. Methods are available at NMKL's secretariat, either individually or as a compiled collection. Collaboratively validated methods are reviewed every 10 years, while others are reviewed every 5 years.

Procedures - guidelines 

Due to increased demand for analytical quality, the need for various quality assurance procedures in food laboratories has increased. Project groups, with participants from the Nordic countries, have developed several procedures and guidelines for use in laboratories. These publications are reviewed every second years.

To PUBLICATIONS

newsletter

NMKL newsletter

NMKL newsletter is a news-sheet presenting new NMKL methods, reports and procedures as well as other news of interest to Nordic food analysts.

NMKL newsletter is distributed to about 1000 addresses in the Nordic region and to about 100 international interest groups.

 Published NMKL methods, reports, procedures and a subscription to NMKL methods can be ordered from the Secretariat of NMKL: e-mail: nmkl@vetinst.no

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President: Ulla Edberg Livsmedelsverket, Kemiska enheten 2, Box 622, SE-751 26, UPPSALA, Sverige tel. +46 18 175660 fax. +46 18 105848 e-mail: Ulla.Edberg@slv.se