The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, has accredited SGS North America, Inc., in accordance with the international standard ISO/IEC 17065, Conformity assessmentRequirements for bodies certifying products, processes, and services; and pertinent certification scheme requirements and regulations under the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)'s Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA. ANSI's conformity assessment accreditation programs were reorganized in December 2018 under the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) brand, a wholly owned subsidiary of ANSI.
A leading provider of inspection, testing, verification, and certification services, SGS North America, Inc., headquartered in Rutherford, New Jersey, is a member company of the multinational SGS Group. ANSI accredited SGS North America, Inc. to conduct food safety certification for the following programs a) 21 CFR Chapter 1, Subchapter A Part 1, Subpart M - Third-Party Accreditation (TPA) Final Rule herein after referred to as the TPA and (b) Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals.
The FSMA empowers the FDA to take proactive steps to prevent the sale, distribution, and consumption of tainted food products by recognizing accreditation bodies such as ANSI/ANAB to assess the competence of food safety product certification bodies according to ISO/IEC 17065 and FDA regulations. The goal is to create a food safety system that supports the prevention of contaminationrather than reacting to contagions that have already occurred.
"We are pleased to announce that accreditation has been granted to SGS North America to certify foreign food suppliers under the FDA's Accredited Third-Party Certification Program of the FSMA, ensuring that food safety practices meet essential requirements throughout the supply chain," said Lane Hallenbeck, executive director of ANAB. "We're looking forward to additional opportunities to accredit CBs working in the critically important areas of food safety and sustainability."
ANSI/ANAB Accreditation for Food Safety
Through its product certification accreditation program, ANSI/ANAB currently accredits 34 certification bodies that operate under a number of certification schemes dedicated to assure food safety, in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065, General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems. ANSI/ANAB is also recognized by the FDA, in the FSMA program, as an accreditor of Management Systems certification bodies under ISO/IEC 17021, Conformity Assessment- Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems.
Laws in California, Illinois, Arizona, West Virginia, Texas, and New Mexico, as well as some local jurisdictions, require food handlers within their limits to have a food-handling training certificate from an ANSI/ANAB-accredited certificate program, demonstrating compliance with ASTM E2659, Standard Practice for Certificate Programs, an American National Standard (ANS). Twenty-six states have adopted food-protection manager certification requirements, which ANSI/ANAB accredits under the Conference for Food Protection's Standard for Accreditation of Protection Manager Certification Programs.
Read more about ANSI Accreditation for Food Safety, and watch a brief video to learn how ANSI accreditation provides food safety assurance.
For more information, contact Reinaldo Figueiredo, senior program director, product/process/services Accreditation Programs ([email protected]), or visit ANSI's accreditation website.
About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) coordinates the U.S. the voluntary standards and conformity assessment system, serving the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI 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).
About ANAB
The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is the largest multi-disciplinary ISO/IEC 17011 accreditation body in North America, with comprehensive signatory status across the multilateral recognition arrangements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). The ANSI/ANAB accreditation portfolio includes management systems certification bodies, calibration and testing labs, product certification bodies, personnel credentialing organizations, forensic test and calibration service providers, inspection bodies, police crime units, greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, reference material producers, and proficiency test providers.