UPGRADING AND ACCREDITATION OF LABORATORIES AND PRACTICAL HACCP SEMINARS

The Malta Standards Authority will be setting up an Accreditation Service to meet the requirements of the Island. Laboratory accreditation is defined in ISO/IEC Guide 2 as "formal recognition that a testing laboratory is competent to carry out specific tests or specific types of tests." The key words in this definition are ‘competent' and ‘specific tests'. Each accreditation recognizes a laboratory's technical capability (or competence) defined in terms of specific tests, measurements, or calibrations. In that sense, it should be recognized as a stand-alone form of quite specialized technical certification -- as distinct from a purely quality management system certification -- as provided through the ISO 9000 framework.

International trade can only function effectively if all stakeholders (business, consumers, regulators etc) have confidence that services and products placed on the markets meet the necessary levels of safety and quality. Accreditation plays an important role in delivering that confidence, by ensuring that conformity assessment bodies (laboratories, certification bodies etc.) meet transparent and objective criteria of competence and impartiality. Accreditation is defined as a "procedure by which an authoritative body gives formal recognition that a body or person is competent to carry out specific tasks."

The standard against which laboratories are accredited is MSA ISO/IEC 17025. In order to introduce its accreditation service, the Malta Standards Authority will be running a course/seminar on the upgrading and accreditation of laboratories on 27 April. This one-day seminar will be run by Dr. Michael Parkany, a world-expert in this field. Dr. Parkany will take the participants through the whole process of implementing MSA ISO/IEC 17025. Dr. Parkany will be also bringing Certified Reference Materials as a donation for those requesting them.

The seminar will be also addressed by Prof. Josef Bonnici, Minister for Economic Services, and concluded by Mr Alain Deckers, a high-ranking official from DG Enterprise responsible for accreditation in the European Union. Mr Deckers will be elaborating on the importance of accreditation within an EU perspective and the role of notified bodies. Further information can be obtained from the Malta Standards Authority.

In June, the Malta Standards Authority will be running another seminar ‘Practical HACCP and the Labelling Regulations'. This seminar will be covering HACCP applications introduced in various local food manufacturing industry as well as the requirements covered by the labelling regulations such as the e-mark. As the number of places is limited, one can secure one's place at the seminar by registering with the Malta Standards Authority. This course is only open to those involved in the food manufacturing industry.