Canadian Food Inspection Agency's On-site Assessment Report of Mexico's Food Safety Control System for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables – 2017
7. Laboratory capacity
The NRCPC (the laboratory) supports SENASICA in the detection and analysis of microbial and chemical contaminants in samples taken from the FFV sector.
The Centre has 4 sections: Microbial Contaminants, Chemical Contaminants, GMOs, and Monitoring and Quality Evaluation. These support 5 program areas:
- national program for monitoring of FFV operations
- program for monitoring contaminants in imported vegetables
- special programs (cantaloupes, papayas, avocadoes, cilantro) and sanitary alerts
- national program for monitoring fresh produce produced under the CRRS
- surveillance of organic products
The lab has 3 mobile laboratories which can be deployed to borders/ports to analyze FFV samples as an innovative approach to support trade.
General observations
The laboratory is accredited to ISO 17025 (9001 and 14000). It is also a member of several international associations and agreements.
The laboratory has a Quality Manager who is responsible for the Quality Manual which documents their methods and compliance with international standards as required by their various accreditations.
Staff are qualified and trained for their respective roles. Training is ongoing. It is conducted annually and, as required, for example, when new procedures are introduced.
The laboratory routinely participates in both national and international inter-laboratory comparison activities.
The laboratory receives samples from SENASICA's Federal Inspection and Verification Office and, from private clients. In both cases, if a pathogen/contaminant is detected, a process is in place to inform SENASICA (who would in turn inform the Department of Health's Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) in event of a public health issue).
The laboratory analyzes an increasing number of samples each year. In 2016, the Centre tested more than 6000 samples compared to only 400 in 2013. In 2016, 310 samples were analyzed for chemical residues compared to 45 in 2013.
The laboratory continues to add new equipment and methods to extend both their scope and limits of detection to support the needs of their clients.
The laboratory has implemented internal methods for the detection of Cyclospora which are based on Polymerase Chain Reaction and microscopy. 100 samples were taken in 2016 following an issue with cilantro from Puebla.
The laboratory does not conduct analysis for viruses. This work is done by COFEPRIS.
The laboratory works with COFEPRIS to coordinate activities in event of a public health issue/outbreak related to FFV from Mexico.
The laboratory regularly exchanges technical information with COFEPRIS.
SENASICA engages the laboratory when they determine it is needed to support alerts/outbreak investigations.
Although there is no national procedure for the coordinated response to a foodborne disease outbreak, each department has their own procedures as per their authorities, and communications between departments are well established.
The laboratory has a national antimicrobial resistance program and a whole genome sequencing program. Together with COFEPRIS, the lab is creating a national geographical profile for the whole genome sequencing of Salmonella in support public safety and trade. They plan to expand the scope of this work to other pathogens in future.
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