The National Food Agency in Sweden has been organizing proficiency testing schemes for laboratories performing microbiological analyses in drinking water and food for many years. By participating in PT schemes, laboratories get an external evaluation of their skill and their results in comparison with the other participants. All laboratories fulfilling and accepting the terms and conditions of the PT are welcome to participate.
In order to get a better evaluation of the results obtained, the laboratories must register the methods they use and how they use them. The information is used for grouping of the results of a particular analysis to show possible differences between methods.