The National Accreditation Body (ENAC) has recently launched three new food sector accreditation programmes, enabling the market to more easily identify those laboratories technically competent to carry out a set of tests covering a comprehensive need in the sector.

The three new programmes are:

• Physical-chemical wine test  accreditation program, which establishes the set of tests to check the limits and requirements laid down in Community legislation for producing wine; to check the wine's main analytical features contained in the tender documents - the protected designation of origin and protected geographical indications; and to assess the wine's conformity with the basic analytical requirements necessary for exporting to third countries.
• Physical-chemical testing of olive oil and olive pomace oil accreditation programme, which establishes the set of tests to check quality and purity characteristics; Virgin olive oil's main analytical characteristics in the tender conditions - the protected designation of origin and protected geographical indications; and the analytical requirements necessary for exporting to third countries.
• Physical-chemical tests of EC fertilisers and other fertilizer products accreditation programme, that establishes the set of tests for determining nutritional richness that enable compliance and testing of the most common current regulatory requirements contained in the EC Regulation No 2003 / 2003, and in Royal Decree 506/2013, including its subsequent amendments.

The aim is that these new programmes will become an asset to the accredited laboratories, as it makes it easier to visualize what they are willing to offer, beyond the specific tests; an  accredited service more according to market demands and official control requirements, thus achieving a better position to face food sector operators and in web-searches, making the business and technical relationship easier between the sector and the laboratories. In addition, the programmes help authorities to more clearly differentiate between accredited and non-accredited wine, olive oil and fertilizer products.

Consult the laboratories accredited for these tests in the accredited bodies search box on the ENAC website. For further information, or to resolve doubts, please contact ENAC's head of Department of Agri-food, Elisa Gredilla Zazo.