World Metrology Day is an annual observance held on May 20th to commemorate the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875. The Metre Convention established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and laid the foundation for the global measurement system known as the International System of Units (SI).

Metrology plays a crucial role in various fields such as industry, trade, health, and the environment. The theme of World Metrology Day 2023 focuses on measurements supporting the global food system. This theme was chosen because of the increasing challenges of climate change, and global distribution of food in a world whose population reached 8 billion at the end of 2022. Providing access to safe and affordable food remains one of the major challenges for governments worldwide. Dr Martin Milton, Director of the BIPM and Mr Anthony Donnellan, Director of the BIML highlight in their World Metrology Day Message some of the many measurement challenges that must be addressed to make the global food system work. For example:

  • the quantity of food bought and sold is measured according to its mass or volume. These measurements range from the large volumes of grain and wheat traded internationally down to rapid online weighing measurements to ensure pre-packaged goods are labelled correctly;
  • the effective storage and packaging of food depends on the accurate control of the temperature and humidity of its storage environment;
  • the quality and authenticity of food is determined by measuring its chemical composition. This requires measurements to ensure that it contains the stated levels of vitamins through to measurements of its isotopic composition to validate the origin of high-value foods such as honey or wine; and
  • the safety of food is ensured by careful measurement to detect the presence of chemical contamination such as pesticide residues and heavy metals or biological contamination such as mycotoxins.

Click here to read World Metrology Day Message

 

To commemorate World Metrology Day 2023, the staff of the Engineering Division at the Alma Jordan Library mounted a display on the importance of measurement in the global food system. Stop by and browse the books on display, and remember... all the books on display are available for check out.

 

 

 

 

Additional readings and information on Metrology:

Mattarozzi, Monica, Eleni Laski, Alessandro Bertucci, Marco Giannetto, Federica Bianchi, Claudia Zoani, and Maria Careri. 2023. "Metrological traceability in process analytical technologies and point-of-need technologies for food safety and quality control: not a straightforward issue." Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 415 (1): 119-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-022-04398-5.

Ogrinc, Nives, Andrea Mario Rossi, Francesca Durbiano, Roland Becker, Mojca Milavec, Alexandra Bogožalec Košir, Elias Kakoulides, Hayrettin Ozer, Fatma Akçadag, Heidi Goenaga-Infante, Milena Quaglia, Silvia Mallia, Gisela Umbricht, Gavin O'Connor, and Bernd Guettler. 2021. "Support for a European metrology network on food safety Food-MetNet." Measurement: Sensors 18: 100285. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measen.2021.100285.

 

Metrology in Trinidad and Tobago

 

World Metrology Day 2023 Message from Dr Martin Milton, BIPM Director