The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Quality Assurance Laboratory is the latest laboratory to be certified under ICA Bremen International Laboratory Certification Scheme. It has joined eight other laboratories that have got certification which has the aim to establish an approved list of laboratories worldwide that meet a standard level of quality assurance.
ICA Bremen, an international centre of excellence for cotton testing, research and quality training, has developed the scheme based on ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and CSITC (Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton), as well as building on the good practices of USDA and its own laboratory experience. Open to any cotton testing laboratory, participating laboratories have to meet a level of quality assurance based on specific criteria in eight modules, including conditioning, maintenance, calibration and testing procedures.
“We are pleased to see that the Quality Assurance Laboratory of USDA has joined the certified club of laboratories. USDA has provided continuous input and support to the certification programme right from the very beginning. We are confident that through the effort of all sides, the certification programme will continue to maintain its standard for the benefit of the whole cotton industry,†ICA Bremen auditor, Robert Jiang said.