The new annual results summary provided to participants in Lab M's SMART QA Proficiency Testing Scheme for the food industry summarises a participating laboratory's activities for one calendar year in a single page report.

Offering a realistic yet concise overview of the lab's methods and proficiencies, the review is informative and easy to understand.

SMART QA offers a simple, comprehensive means of providing documentary evidence of laboratory performance in microbiology testing, with up to 15 tests covered. Samples are supplied as milk powders, rather than freeze-dried vials, to more closely reflect food testing conditions.

Labs may select a combination from three mixes of organisms - Standard, Standard Plus and Pathogen - to suit local needs. Samples are received either monthly or every other month and tested using the lab's normal protocols. Results are returned to Lab M for processing where individual lab results are compared against a reference range for each parameter and with the average across all participants.

For full details of the organisms available, visit www.labm.com or contact Lab M on +44 (0) 161 797 5729 to find out more about the SMART QA scheme.