The Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) has acquired international accreditation of its Inspectorate Division.
According to GA-FDD, the International Standard Organisation (ISO) 17020 achievement was conferred by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).
GA-FDD Inspectorate accreditation certificate
It also revealed that its Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for inspection and Quality Management System were subjected to an assessment exercise by A2LA during the period August 17 to August 20, 2020, after some two years of preparation.
“During the exercise, inspection procedures and practical inspections were observed by the body after which only four non-conformances (NCs) were identified at closure,” the GA-FDD said on Friday, adding that those non-conformances were quickly rectified by the Department, closed off and returned to the assessor, who revealed that the International Accreditation Council found no objection to conferring the status on the GA-FDD Inspectorate Division.
The GA-FDD accreditation scope includes inspection, sampling and product destruction for food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices.
“All certificates and licences issued by the Department will now be accompanied by the A2LA logo, which gives universal recognition of the distinctive work of the Department,” it said, pointing out that the GA-FDD was the only accredited Government inspection body in Guyana and also had the distinction of being the only Government entity in the entire Caribbean Region that is fully a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) with ISO 17020 Inspectorate as well as ISO 17025 Laboratory accreditations.
The GA-FDD said with its accreditation, its immediate plan was to redouble efforts to ensure revision of local archaic legislation, finalising the project for its new and improved state-of-the-art laboratory and office complex facility, and the complete digitisation of its operating systems.
The Department stated that substandard food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices imports would be an occurrence of the past. It posited that document submissions and all requirements must now be met and there would be no compromising of its system, which would have a negative impact on its accreditation.
