Today’s Topic: NCDA&CS food lab achieves ISO accreditation

by | Apr 20, 2010

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with the Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”

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The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Food and Drug Protection lab has achieved accreditation to the ISO 17025 Standard. The standard addresses factors relevant to the lab’s ability to produce precise, accurate, defensible test data.

Having an accredited lab benefits the consumers of North Carolina because it allows acceptance of the lab’s data by federal partners such as the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will speed up decisions about food and feed safety issues.

Because the ISO 17025 standard is recognized internationally, the lab’s test data will also be accepted in other countries. This will benefit North Carolina farmers who export their products under the Global Good Agricultural Practices program. The NCDA&CS lab can now provide data on North Carolina produce that will be accepted by importing countries.

Listen in as Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda Garrison talk about the significance of ISO accreditation.

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