Case Study
Food Safety underpinned by the ILAC MRA
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued draft guidance on data packages that addressed its preference to have food tested by laboratories accredited by an ILAC MRA signatory accreditation body to assure data credibility in 2008.
The Food Safety Modernization Act, enacted on Jan. 4, 2011, gives a statutory mandate to the FDA for recognition of laboratory accreditation associated with the testing of food. FDA is developing regulations to implement this provision.
The Food Safety Modernization Act calls for laboratory accreditation with FDA appearing to lean toward using the ILAC MRA to recognise accreditation bodies. The FDA also supports US state public health laboratories to get accredited by ILAC MRA signatories by August 2017.