CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE’S METROLOGY LAB RECEIVES NATIONAL ACCREDITATION

State laboratory services recognized for testing and calibrating instruments to an international standard

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s metrology laboratory has received national accreditation in from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program. This accreditation allows the department to expand its services to private businesses and government organizations by certifying and calibrating instruments to an international baseline. Those entities seeking to internationally market and sell commercial instruments used to verify or calibrate a commercial measurement device can have their products certified to a foreign market standard at the department’s Division of Measurement Standards– reducing cost and time for the state’s exporters.

“Accreditation allows our lab to further assist businesses in exporting commercial instruments,” said Secretary Kawamura, “The excellent work completed by our metrology staff in earning this recognition will keep California on the forefront of commercial measurement standardization.”

Accreditation permits the department’s metrology laboratory to become a one-stop shop for state/local government and private businesses for certification and calibration of instruments within the department’s accreditation scope. Accredited laboratories are evaluated on prescribed criteria based on international standards throughout the world.

The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program, established in 1976, accredits laboratories for various competencies in testing and calibration - establishing, a professional and technical knowledge base for the laboratory community in regards to domestic and international trade conformity. With this recognition, California becomes one of seventeen state metrology laboratories accredited by the program.

The department’s Division of Measurement Standards, which oversees the metrology lab, enforces California weights and measures laws and regulations through testing, verification and inspection.  This enforcement is conducted in partnership with county officials to ensure fair competition within the industry and accurate value comparison for consumers.