Institutional activity
As a member of the EU Member States' reference laboratory network, the NRL performs the following tasks:
- providing scientific and technical support to the Competent Authorities for the implementation of control programmes, including the regular organisation of NRL workshops
- collaboration with the EURL for Mycotoxins and Plant Toxins
- forwarding of information from the EURL to the Italian Competent Authorities and national official laboratories
- coordination activities of national official control measures, in this context, it organises inter-laboratory studies (Proficiency Testing) and training courses for staff of official laboratories involved in the control of mycotoxins and plant toxins in food and feed
- evaluation of data from monitoring and surveillance programmes entered into the Italian Ministry of Health's New Health Information System (NSIS)
- advisory activities on various aspects of mycotoxins and plant toxins (risk/exposure assessment, evaluation of sampling plans, assessment of risk management strategies)
- training and consultancy activities for national and european health authorities
Research activity
The NLR Mycotoxins and Plant Toxins conducts research projects in collaboration with national and international partners on risk assessment, advances in analytical sector and sampling.
The following are the main priorities in the field of mycotoxins and plant toxins:
- risk assessment of known mycotoxins and emerging mycotoxins and plant toxins
- exposure assessment both through monitoring studies of food products marketed in Italy and through the development of biomonitoring studies carried out on different population groups
- evaluation of contamination reduction along the agro-food chain
- study of diagnostics issues using traditional and innovative systems
- studies of sampling issues in food and feed
