The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) now offers the first accreditation program to the new IFS Food Store third-party retail inspection standard in the Americas. The IFS Food Store standard is the only third-party inspection program based on ISO/IEC 17020 currently available from a leading global scheme owner.
Designed by retailers and acquired by IFS, a leader in third-party certification standards, the standard meets the needs of retailers by providing globally accepted inspection requirements for activities including deli, on-site butcher and seafood, and other grocery operations. Inspection to the standard allows retailers to offer customers assurance that they meet global best practices. IFS standards are Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked when a benchmark is available.
"At IFS, we are pleased that we deliver products that help industry achieve their goals and deliver safe, quality products - in this case to the end consumer." Stephan Tromp, Managing Director of IFS, said.
ANAB's exclusive arrangement to provide accreditation for the IFS Food Store inspection program came about in response to widespread concerns about food safety. "Accredited inspection provides assurance of technically competent service and consistently reliable results, leading to reduced cost and lowered risk," ANAB Vice President Keith Greenaway said. "ANAB looks forward to delivering high-quality, independent service to another key industry."
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) provides accreditation for ISO/IEC 17020 inspection bodies and forensic inspection agencies, ISO/IEC 17025 testing and calibration laboratories and forensic testing agencies, ISO Guide 34 reference material producers, ISO/IEC 17043 proficiency test providers, ISO 15189 medical test laboratories, ISO/IEC 17021 management systems certification bodies, and industry-specific programs. ANAB is a member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), and is a signatory of the ILAC and IAF multilateral recognition arrangements. Through these arrangements, ANAB cooperates with other accreditation bodies around the world to provide value to the organizations it has accredited and their clients, ensuring that accredited certificates and test results are recognized nationally and internationally. The global conformity assessment system ensures confidence and reduces risk for customers engaging in trade worldwide. For more information, visit /www.anab.org.
International Featured Standards (IFS) is an umbrella brand for globally recognized standards in food, logistics, cash and carry/wholesale, broker, packaging materials (IFS PACsecure), and household and personal care (HPC). IFS provides global uniform quality assurance and food safety standards benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). IFS is one of the world's premier standards organizations in the food and non-food supply chain with more than 17,000 audits conducted globally in 2014. For more information, visit www.ifs-certification.com.
For more information on the ANAB accreditation program for IFS Food Store contact Roger Muse at [email protected].
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ANSI Accreditation
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
ANSI's portfolio of accreditation services includes programs for all types of certification and verification bodies, including those for products/products/services, personnel, and greenhouse gas emissions as well as standards developers. ANSI provides accreditation in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065 for product certification programs to ensure that the marketplace can gain confidence for their activities. International Featured Standards (IFS) and other prominent food and agricultural sector programs recognize ANSI accreditation as demonstrating compliance to international standards and competence in certification programs.
For more on how ANSI accreditation strengthens conformity assessment programs, see the new "Value of ANSI Accreditation" brochure.