ANAB - CALA Collaborative Accreditation: Empowering Laboratories to Reach New Markets in the U.S. and Canada

The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation (CALA) are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to offer laboratories a seamless pathway to accreditation in both the United States and Canada. This collaboration supports laboratories in gaining broader market access, regulatory recognition, and increased trust from clients across North America.

By leveraging the internationally recognized accreditation systems of ANAB and CALA, the partnership offers laboratories a simplified, efficient, and cost-effective process to obtain accreditation by both organizations. The program streamlines the assessment process while upholding the highest standards of competence, impartiality, and credibility under ISO/IEC 17025, Testing and calibration laboratories.

Key benefits of the ANAB–CALA accreditation program include:

• Market Expansion: Open doors to new business opportunities in both U.S. and Canadian markets.
• Streamlined Process: Save time and resources with coordinated assessments and aligned documentation.
• Regulatory Recognition: Meet the expectations of regulatory bodies and customers with recognized international compliance.
• Trusted Partnership: Gain accreditations from two respected and internationally recognized accreditation bodies.
• Customer-Centric Approach: Benefit from a simplified process that minimizes administrative burden without compromising quality. Recognizing that laboratories’ scopes and needs are unique, ANAB and CALA will work with each laboratory to assure that the process is efficient, effective, and adds value.

Kevin McKinley, president and CEO of CALA, emphasizes the value to Canadian laboratories: “CALA is driving a ‘customer first’ strategy and we're focused on providing Canadian labs with a simple and effective way to achieve U.S. accreditation credentials to access new markets. ANAB’s reputation, adaptability, and vast reach make them a natural choice for this cross-border collaboration.”

Doug Leonard, executive director of ANAB, highlights the complementary strengths of the partnership: “CALA brings decades of technical excellence, regional trust, and deep sector knowledge to the table. Together, ANAB and CALA are creating a consistent, reliable, and internationally recognized framework that serves the needs of laboratories, regulators, and industries on both sides of the border.”