World Accreditation Day (WAD) was established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) in 2009. Its purpose is to raise awareness of accreditation related activities and their impact on the daily lives of the broader community.
When ILAC conceived the theme for WAD 2020; Accreditation: Improving Food Safety, no one could have imagined the challenges the world now faces. The pandemic has a had a profound experience on all our lives, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Panic buying and restrictions placed upon movements provided a stark reminder of what we all take for granted in Australia; the safe supply of food.
The inspection and testing activities provided by NATA accredited facilities are vital in improving food safety. FSANZ and the States and Territories combine to ensure food is safe from undeclared allergens, chemical residues and microbiological contamination, labelling is clear, and packaging meets specifications. The service of food is monitored by local government and state and territory agencies. All these activities rely on a robust program of inspection and testing from the paddock to the plate. Such activities are relied upon by regulators and specifiers throughout the supply chain.
As the world’s population increases, the need to continue the drive to improve food safety for all mankind will only increase. Research into sustainable food production, combatting food fraud and the continued supply of safe and nutritious food will face increasing challenges in the future, but we are prepared. The global food inspection and testing network that ILAC represents is ready to deliver now and into the future.
As part of our celebrations, NATA ran a competition for members and technical assessors which required them to answer the question ‘What value does accreditation add to food safety?
The judges chose these three winners from a strong field:
Food safety is an important field of work pertaining to storage, handling and preparation of food products to prevent food-borne illness, which is a significant issue that can impact millions of people worldwide. Accreditation ensures that food safety processes followed are to an international standard, giving the consumer confidence in the products, minimizing the risks of food-borne illness outbreaks, and giving the Food Safety provider formal recognition of its quality system.
Eliza Collis
Quality Control Manager/Geotyping Laboratory Supervisor (Agena)
Neogen Australasia
The safety of our family and ourselves is at the forefront of our minds when it comes to food. Underpinning this, is the expectation that the food we consume meets strong food safety standards, which is sustained through accredited food testing services. Knowing that these testing services are supported by global standard accreditation provides consumers everywhere with the reassurance that compliance to food safety regulations is being upheld. From production to plate, food safety supports everyone, and accreditation supports food safety.
Jessica Tunnage
Laboratory Manager
Northern Co-Operative Meat Company
Accreditation provides value to food producers and retailers by giving distinction from those without accreditation, giving customers confidence that the product is thoroughly evaluated by an external body against national and international industry standards.
Justin Hartley
Senior Technician
Calibration and Testing Services
Congratulations to Eliza, Jessica and Justin. We hope you enjoy your prizes!