Are our food and water safe? Are they free of toxins, contaminants or pollutants? Are they free of pathogens? If we have allergic reaction to certain ingredients, can we trust the labelling? Is it authentic? Are we consuming what we think we are? Are the ingredients what they say on the can or on the label? How is it produced? Is it fair trade or organically produced? These are questions consumers are asking nowadays.

Are our food and water safe? Are they free of toxins, contaminants or pollutants? Are they free of pathogens? If we have allergic reaction to certain ingredients, can we trust the labelling? Is it authentic? Are we consuming what we think we are? Are the ingredients what they say on the can or on the label? How is it produced? Is it fair trade or organically produced? – These are questions consumers are asking nowadays.

Confidence in the safety, security, and authenticity of the food and water that consumers purchase or consume is critical. This confidence is gained through conformity assessment which checks if products are fit and safe for consumption against a standard, a code of practice or regulatory requirements. Conformity assessment provides a means for preventing unsafe, unhealthy or environmentally harmful products from entering the market place. There are a growing number of Conformity Assessment Bodies that check compliance with these standards through services such as laboratory testing, calibration, inspection services, and certification services.

The next question is “How certain are we that these Conformity Assessment Bodies are impartial and competent in providing these services?” The answer lies in the accreditation of Conformity Assessment Bodies.

Accreditation is the independent evaluation of Conformity Assessment Bodies that provides testing, calibration, inspection services, and certification services against recognized standards to carry out specific activities to ensure their integrity, impartiality and competence. Accreditation bodies are established in many countries with the primary purpose of ensuring that conformity assessment bodies are subject to oversight by an authoritative body. Through the application of national and international standards, government, procurers and consumers can have confidence in calibration and test results, inspection reports and certifications provided.

Accreditation bodies evaluated as competent by their peer accreditation bodies, sign arrangements that support the acceptance of accreditation results and certificates across national borders. These Arrangements such as the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) and Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA), managed by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), remove the need for additional tests, checks or certification at each country of entry. They also provide regulators with an internationally recognized stamp of approval to demonstrate that a supplier is complying with agreed standards.

International accreditation agreements and arrangements increase the choice of goods and services available in the market while ensuring that relevant standards of quality and safety are met. The Department of Trade and Industry-Philippine Accreditation Bureau (DTI-PAB) through Executive Order 802 was established to handle the accreditation of inspection bodies, certification bodies, calibration and testing laboratories, and other bodies offering conformity assessment services needed by the country.

The DTI-PAB is a member and signatory to the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) of International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (I LAC) and Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC); and to the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) of International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC).

To know more about the accreditation services of the DTI-PAB, please visit their website at www.pabaccreditation.dti.gov.ph or contact DTt-PAB at +632 751-0384 loc. 4707, you may also send an e-mail at pab@dti.gov.ph. Source: ilac.