The accreditation of the Bureau of Standards’ Chemistry Laboratory to ISO/IEC 17025 — the international standards for testing labs — will allow Jamaica to exported tested foods to 69 countries across the world without hassle.
The lab last Wednesday received its certificate of accreditation from the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) at a ceremony held at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.
Like JANAAC, the 69 countries to which Jamaica can now export foods are signatories to the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation.
State minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, who presented the certificate to the BSJ, hailed the accreditation of the chemistry lab as a “green light for exporters” and a milestone for Jamaica.
“The accreditation of this food testing facility is of conspicuous significance to the country as the BSJ certifies a number of food products for sale in the local and export market. This accreditation is therefore, a milestone for Jamaica,” she said.
The state minister pointed out that with this accreditation, goods tested for export at the BSJ’s laboratory will not be held in the ports of other countries to be rechecked. She noted that usually when goods are held in the ports of the importing country, there is a decrease in the confidence of potential buyers and time is wasted.
She further noted that with less hassle involved in the process of exporting foods, the country can look forward to earning more foreign exchange to reduce the national debt.
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