Fonterra enhances product testing capabilities in Sri Lanka

Wednesday, 15 June 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Fonterra Brands Lanka announced the ISO 17025 accreditation of its Quality Control Laboratory, undertaken by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (SLAB).

In line with its commitment to continually deliver high quality products to consumers, Fonterra’s Quality Control Laboratory which is responsible for testing all Fonterra milk powder products pre and post production in Sri Lanka, has met a further set of stringent quality measures designed to ensure dairy products are produced in keeping with global standards.

The ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is the formal recognition of a laboratory’s ability to produce precise and trustworthy results. Fonterra Brands Lanka has, in the past, received the ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 certifications.

By upgrading the laboratory facilities and increasing the skill levels of employees, Fonterra can now increase the efficiency and effectiveness of its testing to contribute to a smoother supply chain – ensuring that consumers have a reliable supply of Fonterra’s popular products.

Achyut Kasireddy, Managing Director Fonterra Brands Lanka said: “The accreditation of our laboratory further reinforces Fonterra Brands Lanka’s commitment to providing high quality standards for dairy in the country. We continuously strive to achieve the highest standards and maintain the trust that Sri Lankans have placed in our brands.

“This accreditation further supports and reinforces the confidence our consumers have in our products, such as our Anchor Full Cream and PediaPro Growing Up Milk Powder as well as our much-loved Ratthi range of locally produced dairy products.”

As a part of the accreditation, the Fonterra Quality Control laboratory testing facilities were upgraded as per the ISO 17025 requirements and laboratory analysts received additional theoretical and practical training. This was followed by a series of audits conducted by experts in the field of laboratory management.

The audits were carried out by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (SLAB), which is the National Accreditation Authority for Sri Lanka. SLAB is a full member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).