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FAPC Analytical Services national accreditation
STILLWATER, Okla. – The Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center Analytical Services, located on Oklahoma State University's Stillwater campus, has been accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) in the chemical field of testing.
“This prestigious accreditation enhances credibility for the FAPC Analytical Services and allows us the opportunity to provide the same quality services as always; but, now with the recognition from A2LA, FAPC clients will have the assurance of the quality of services,” said Guadalupe Davila El-Rassi, FAPC analytical services manager.
“We believe the accreditation will serve as catalysis to broaden and promote our services to clients across the state of Oklahoma,” she said.
Analytical Services team members worked together for several months to complete all necessary requirements for this accreditation. El-Rassi classified it as a rigorous challenge, and said the team combined the necessary skills to meet the objective.
The Analytical Services is now accredited to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17025:2005 based on internationally accepted criteria for technical competence and management system requirements necessary to consistently deliver valid test results. The certificate and the scope of accreditation can be found in the database of accredited laboratories at www.a2la.org/scopepdf/2790-01.pdf <http://www.a2la.org/scopepdf/2790-01.pdf> .
“It was hard work, but we were enthusiastic, and now we are very proud of the success of our team,” said Veneta Banskalieva, senior research specialist for the FAPC Analytical Services Laboratory.
Angie Lathrop, FAPC Analytical Services Laboratory senior research specialist, said very few laboratories in the state have been accredited by A2LA.
“There is only one other chemical testing laboratory in Oklahoma that has been accredited by A2LA, and we are the only A2LA accredited university laboratory in the state,” she said. “There may be labs in Oklahoma that obtained their ISO 17025 accreditation from another organization. However, according to research, I only found one other university in the U.S. that has an accredited chemical laboratory through A2LA.”
The accreditation scope granted is to perform the following tests on food, dairy and plant products. These tests include percent moisture/loss on drying; percent ash; determination of crude protein by Leco Combustion Method; percent fat of meat, animal feeds, grains, plant tissues, butter and margarine, yogurt, nuts and seeds by Soxtec; and percent carbohydrates by subtraction.
“The food industry in Oklahoma is progressive and demands service providers be third party accredited,” said Roy Escoubas, FAPC director and professor. “The ISO is an international gold-standard accreditation, and our ISO accreditation for analytical services allows the FAPC to best serve our Oklahoma food industry clients.”
For more information about the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center or FAPC Analytical Services, please visit http://www.fapc.biz on the Internet.
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REPORTER:
Brooke Clay
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mandy Gross
Manager, FAPC Communications Services
Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center
144 FAPC
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-0442
E-Mail: mandy.gross@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University, U. S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local governments cooperating; Oklahoma State University in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures, and is an equal opportunity employer.
