30H-5 |
ISO/IEC Guide 25 (ISO/IEC 17025) and U.S. government food testing laboratory |
J. W. HO, Technical Services Branch, Science & Technology Programs, USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, STOP 0272, Washington, DC 20250-0272 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, Science and Technology (S&T) Programs provides laboratory testing service in support of commodity procurement programs and the agricultural community. The S&T laboratories operate under a user-fee program to perform chemical, microbiological, and physical analyses on various food products and commodities for the Federal, State, and private sectors. Due to the growth of the global economy, a wide variety of foods are available to consumers as a consequence of the increase in international trade. Domestic and foreign buyers frequently place specifications in their purchase contracts that may require laboratory testing. To ensure the reliability of laboratory results, the test data must be generated by a competent laboratory that can be assessed via an accreditation process. One of the recognized international standards for laboratory accreditation is ISO/IEC Guide 25 (which is being replaced by ISO/IEC 17025). To ensure the acceptance of test results internationally S&T management began to focus on the accreditation of S&T laboratories to ISO/IEC Guide 25 (ISO/IEC 17025). With top management commitment, Guide 25 and accreditation training courses were provided to S&T laboratory and headquarters’ staffers who in turn developed and prepared extensive laboratory documentation and quality manuals. Prior to a third party accreditation assessment, a series of internal audits and management reviews were performed by the laboratory Quality Assurance/Quality Control Officer, Laboratory Director, and headquarters staff to assess the degree of compliance of the laboratory’s quality system against the requirements of ISO/IEC Guide 25:1990. The S&T Blakely, Georgia aflatoxin and proximate laboratory, has attained the desired accreditation. This activity serves as a template to facilitate the accreditation of other S&T laboratories. It is incumbent upon the U.S. Government and all food laboratories to provide the services to the food industry and agricultural community that will enhance the marketing of U.S. agricultural products.
Session 30H, Quality Assurance
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