AOAC International is a 501(c) non-profit scientific association with headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. It was founded in 1884 as the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (AOAC) and became AOAC International in 1991. It publishes standardized, chemical analysis methods designed to increase confidence in the results of chemical and microbiological analyses. Government agencies and civil organizations often require that laboratories use official AOAC methods. AOAC is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, and has approximately 3,000 members based in over 90 countries. History AOAC International, informally the AOAC, was founded September 8, 1884, as the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to establish uniform chemical analysis methods for analyzing fertilizers. In 1927, sponsorship was moved to the newly formed Food, Drug and Insecticide organization which become the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1930. From its initial scope of analyzing fertilizer, the organization expanded the contents of its methods book to cover dairy products, pesticides, microbiological contamination and animal feeds, among others. In 1965, due to its increasing area of focus for analytical work, the name was changed to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The name was changed again to the Association of Analytical Communities to reflect the growing international involvement, and then in 1991 it became AOAC International, with AOAC no longer having any legal meaning. Control of the organization remained with the FDA until 1979 when it became completely independent, although it still has close links to both the FDA and the USDA. Full membership was limited to government analytical chemists until 1987 when membership was extended to industrial scientists. As well as government agencies, members, volunteers and partners now also include people from academia, other international organizations, private laboratories, contract research organizations, instrument manufacturers and rapid assay developers. Activities AOAC International's technical contributions center on the creation, validation, and global publication of reliable analytical test methods. Their areas of focus include, but are not limited to, safety of foods, beverages, dietary supplements, fertilizers, animal feeds, soil and water, and veterinary drugs. The aim of the test methods is to evaluate the purity of materials used in the production of foodstuffs, and their ingredients. The development of these analytical methods in achieved as part of a range of programs operated by AOAC. Core Programs Official Methods of Analysis The Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) program is AOAC's premier program for developing food testing