PCA's
Aflatoxin and Chemical Laboratory, located in the Innovation and Technical Centre, has been accredited by the
National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) since 1979.
NATA's third-party assessment of competence provides PCA's laboratory with an
internationally-recognised accreditation.
Regular reassessment and proficiency testing by NATA technical assessors ensures the lab's ongoing compliance with accreditation requirements.
The Australian Federal Government recognises NATA as the
sole national accreditation body for establishing and maintaining competent laboratory practice.
NATA is a signatory to the
International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Arrangement and has established mutual recognition agreements with more than 35 other laboratory accreditation bodies. It is one of the founding members of the Asia-Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC).
Its competence as an accreditation provider is regularly evaluated by its mutual recognition partners from Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region to ensure its operations remain consistent with international practices.
Since September 2000, NATA accredits laboratories against criteria based on
ISO/IEC 17025:2005 General requirements for the competence of calibration and testing laboratories.
