IAS participated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel discussion about ISO/IEC Standard 17025 and the accreditation of food testing laboratories. The event was arranged by FDA for members of the Association of Public Health Laboratories in preparation of the forthcoming Food Safety Modernization Act regulations on food product testing, inspection and accreditation. IAS Vice President Raj Nathan (above at podium) was a panelist in the June 5 discussion in Raleigh, N.C., and presented on IAS accreditation of food testing laboratories.

In January 2011, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law. Under this legislation, accreditation will be mandatory for food testing laboratories. The FDA is in the process of establishing rules to meet this legislation. More details are available on the FSMA website.

IAS has offered accreditation of testing laboratories for close to 40 years and has been accrediting food safety laboratories for more than a decade. For more information on IAS accreditation for food testing laboratories, click here.