The FiA, UNIDO and IPC announced the successful expansion of accreditation for IPC's Laboratory of Environment and Food Safety (LEFS) with the support of CAPFISH-Capture on November 4. Supplied
The Fisheries Administration (FiA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) have announced the successful expansion of accreditation for IPC's Laboratory of Environment and Food Safety (LEFS), marking a significant step in improving food safety standards in Cambodia.
The milestone was achieved with the support of the CAPFISH-Capture: Post-Harvest Fisheries Development (CAPFISH-Capture) project, funded by the EU and implemented by UNIDO in partnership with FiA, according to a November 4 IPC press release.
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According to the release, the CAPFISH-Capture project is dedicated to enhancing post-harvest fisheries and food safety practices. One of its key objectives is to bolster laboratory capabilities that support food safety control measures, ensuring the quality of fish and other food products.
It noted that with continuous technical assistance from the project, IPC's laboratory initially received ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation in September 2022 for selected food microbiology tests. This accreditation has now been expanded to cover nine additional testing parameters in both water and food microbiology.
"This development underscores our commitment to enhancing laboratory capabilities and increasing the trade potential for fish, food and other agricultural products," UNIDO country representative Narin Sok was quoted as saying in the release.
He noted that the expanded services will help local food businesses save time and costs by eliminating the need to send products to neighbouring countries for testing.
IPC director André Spiegel highlighted the importance of the collaboration, stating, "The IAS accreditation reflects our unwavering dedication to providing high-quality food testing services. It enhances our ability to support public health by reinforcing food safety and the agri-food and fisheries sectors in meeting national and international standards."
He also mentioned plans to pursue further accreditation for testing chemical substances with continued support from CAPFISH-Capture.
FiA director-general Sotha Poum expressed optimism about the partnership's future impact, noting IPC's expanded capabilities will aid in ensuring that fish and fishery products meet quality standards from harvest to the consumer.
He noted that the FiA regularly sends fish samples to IPC as part of its food safety control efforts.
EU ambassador to Cambodia Igor Driesmans praised the achievement, stating that the expansion of IPC's testing services supports an efficient food safety control system and helps local food business operators comply with market standards.
“Through the CAPFISH-Capture programme, we are proud to assist the institution in its efforts to provide expanded laboratory testing services in Cambodia,” Driesmans said.
The expansion of IPC’s accreditation scope marks an important step in strengthening food safety and public health in Cambodia, supporting the country’s food producers and contributing to the quality assurance of fish and food products both domestically and internationally, according to the press release.
