The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced its recognition of six accreditation bodies under the Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods (LAAF) program. Under the LAAF program, recognized accreditation bodies may accredit laboratories to the standards established in the final rule on Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods. Laboratories may now apply to the recognized accreditation bodies to participate in the LAAF program.
The LAAF final rule, issued by FDA on December 3, 2021, establishes the LAAF program and outlines eligibility requirements for accreditation bodies and laboratories that wish to participate in the program. The LAAF final rule also describes the procedures for how FDA will manage and oversee the program.
Eligibility requirements for an accreditation body seeking LAAF recognition include being a full member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and a signatory to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement with demonstrated competence to ISO/IEC 17011:2017(E) and a scope of Testing: ISO/IEC 17025.
Interested accreditation bodies may apply for recognition under the LAAF program through an electronic portal. All recognized accreditation bodies—and subsequently, the LAAF-accredited laboratories—will be listed in the public registry accessible from the LAAF webpage. The first six recognized accreditation bodies include:
- AIHA LAP LLC
- ANSI National Accreditation Board
- American Association for Laboratory Accreditation
- International Accreditation Services Inc.
- Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation Inc.
- Standard Council of Canada.
The LAAF program is intended to improve the accuracy and reliability of certain food testing through the uniformity of standards and enhanced FDA oversight of participating laboratories and accreditation bodies.
