National Reference Laboratories for Food Safety

The National Reference Laboratories provide suitable analytical procedures so that legal limit values for hazardous substances in food can be reliably monitored.

Food safety and consumer protection

Food that is placed on the market in Switzerland must not endanger the health of consumers.

This is governed by the Federal Act on Foodstuffs and Consumer Products (FoodA, SR 817.0). The FoodA strengthens cooperation between Switzerland and the European Union in the area of food safety.

• Federal Act on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles (Foodstuffs Act, FoodA, SR 817.0)

In order to ensure that products are harmless to health and to prevent fraud, it is essential to examine foodstuffs and consumer products. Reliable food controls require measurement and analysis procedures that deliver correct and comparable results. The National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) ensure that the control laboratories work with methods that guarantee this.

The role of the National Reference Laboratories

The National Reference Laboratories are part of the Network of European Union Reference Laboratories for Public Health. They form the interface between the official enforcement laboratories in Switzerland (cantonal laboratories), the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) and the European Union Reference Laboratories.

The National Reference Laboratories:

• work with the relevant European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL)
• coordinate the activities of official laboratories in relation to analytical methods
• ensure that the information provided by the EURL is forwarded to the FSVO and the official laboratories
• provide scientific and technical support to the FSVO within their area of responsibility
• conduct professional discussion forums and necessary training for official laboratory staff

• Tasks of the European Union Reference Laboratories

  The European Union Reference Laboratories:

  • act as the interface between the European Commission and the National Reference Laboratories
  • develop and validate test methods
  • conduct arbitration analyses
  • promote the harmonisation of the laboratories’ capabilities and, in doing so, help prevent market distortions within the European single market

  A full list of the tasks of the EURL can be found in Article 94 of EU Regulation 2017/625.

• Tasks of the official enforcement laboratories in Switzerland

  The official enforcement laboratories in Switzerland:

  • implement the Federal Act on Foodstuffs and Consumer Products and the cantonal requirements regarding the Foodstuffs Act
  • are responsible for inspecting foodstuffs and food establishments, consumer products such as crockery, cosmetics and toys, bath and drinking water
  • Do they implement the Major Accidents Ordinance, the Ordinance
    on Risk Prevention Officer for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, Rail and Water and the Ordinance on Biosafety, Responsibility for the Control of Chemicals and Radon and for the Approval of Refrigerant Systems

The National Reference Laboratories at METAS

Based on its expertise, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) has appointed METAS as a reference laboratory for the following areas:

• Reference Laboratory for Process Contaminants in Foodstuffs
• Reference Laboratory for Chemical Elements and Nitrogen Compounds in Foodstuffs
• Reference Laboratory for Genetically Modified Organisms in Food
• Reference Laboratory for Food-Borne Viruses

More information

• National reference laboratories for food safety
• World Food Safety Day

• Legal Basis

  • Federal Act on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles (Foodstuffs Act, FoodA, SR 817.0)