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Accreditation Status of Agri-Food Laboratories | |
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| | Since 2001, a number of laboratory tests methods performed in the Work Units of Agri-Food Laboratories Branch have been accredited to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025. This is the most recognized form of laboratory accreditation in the world today. The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard is administered by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), Canada’s representative to the ISO.
As the result of an arrangement with Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) laboratories accredited under the Program Specialty Area, Agriculture Inputs, Food, Animal Health and Plant Protection, are also required to meet requirements laid down by:
- EURACHEM – Accreditation for Microbiological Laboratories
- CITAC/EURACHEM – Guide to Quality in Analytical Chemistry
- OIE, World Organization for Animal Health – OIE Quality Standard and Guidelines for Veterinary Laboratories: Infectious Diseases
Accreditation is based on a Quality Management System (QMS) which is audited at two-year intervals by representatives of the SCC. The audit team consists of a team leader either from SCC or under contract to them and a number of technical assessors who are experts in the tests they are investigating. Both the QMS and the individual tests must pass the scrutiny of the audit team in order for accreditation to be recommended. The approval of test methods by experts who have examined them directly is what makes ‘accreditation’ superior to the ‘certification’ of other programs where only the method documentation is assessed.
The number of accredited tests varies somewhat over time depending on the needs of projects and programs. The current Scope of Accreditation, i.e., list of accredited test methods, is available on online at the SCC Website: Scope of Accreditation.
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Other Documents in the Series |
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Agri-Food Laboratories Branch
Agri-Food Laboratories Branch: Chemistry Section
Agri-Food Laboratories Branch: Biology Section
Accreditation Status of Agri-Food Laboratories - Current Document
Agri-Food Laboratories: Containment Level 3 and Support Section
Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development's Containment Level 3 Facility
Information for Research Applicants to the ARD CL3 Facility
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Gary Higgs or Food Safety and Animal Health Division.
This information published to the web on June 13, 2002.
Last Reviewed/Revised on February 22, 2010.
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