The NEW FDA food testing requirements: Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Food (LAAF)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established a program for the testing of food in certain circumstances by accredited laboratories, as required under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). The FDA established the Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods (LAAF) program as required by FSMA section 202(a), which added section 422 to the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 350k). The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) final rule on Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods (LAAF) establishes a laboratory accreditation program for the testing of food in certain circumstances. Under the LAAF program, FDA recognizes accreditation bodies (ABs) that will accredit laboratories to the standards established in the final rule (referred to as LAAF-accredited laboratories).

Establishing this program will help FDA improve the safety of the U.S. food supply and protect U.S. consumers by adopting a modern, preventive, and risk-based approach to food safety regulation, helping ensure that certain food testing of importance to public health is conducted subject to appropriate oversight and in accordance with appropriate model standards to produce reliable and valid test results.

Presenter

Jason Stine, ANAB Senior Director of Accreditation

Jason Stine, ANAB Senior Director of Accreditation, is in charge of accreditation activities relating to testing laboratories and supporting programs. He has worked for ANAB and been qualified as a lead assessor for more than 15 years. 

Stine has a degree in mechanical engineering technology from Purdue University and more than 10 years technical experience working in accredited testing laboratories.  He is involved with technical organizations such as ASTM, ASQ, SAE, AOAC, and ACIL and works closely with many state and federal agencies on technical and accreditation-related programs.

Stine represents ANAB nationally and internationally with APAC, IAAC, ILAC, and NACLA. He is a qualified ISO/IEC 17011 APAC lead evaluator and regularly participates on evaluation teams performing international evaluations of accreditation bodies worldwide.

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