Case Study

Supporting Food Chain Security

European Regulation (EC) No 2017/625 relies on accreditation to support food security in Europe. It requires that all analytical results from laboratories that carry out Official controls must be accredited in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025. It also extends to the whole food chain, with more specific rules for dealing with fraud, including the obligation of Member States to carry out regular, unscheduled checks to ensure integrity and authenticity throughout the food chain.

The requirements for accredited laboratories are reflected in article 37, which directs the laboratory to include every one of the methods of analysis necessary for the realisation of Controls that are required, for example by operators.

Further information is available in the Regulation.