Zimbabwe’s Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) and Uganda’s Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratories (DGAL) have achieved accreditation to the international standard for laboratory testing and calibration with support from the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Obtaining this accreditation is a goal for many testing and calibration laboratories in Africa, as it demonstrates their competence; increases customer confidence; and improves the chances of attracting resources by providing paid services and thus contributing to the sustainability of these laboratories. Accredited laboratories also help food traders access and maintain domestic and international markets.
Faced with limited resources, national testing and calibration laboratories such as CVL in Zimbabwe and DGAL in Uganda need to explore mechanisms to attract funds to facilitate routine operations and ensure sustainable service delivery. The support provided by the IAEA, in cooperation with the FAO, contributed to strengthening the capacities of the CVL and the DGAL.
The CVL is now able to regularly test foods such as chicken for chemical hazards and can provide end users with more reliable analytical test results, creating greater consumer confidence.
Additionally, CVL staff were recently trained and equipped as part of an AFRA regional food security project also involving Namibia and Zimbabwe, giving them even greater capabilities. One of the beneficiaries of this capacity is a major domestic chicken producer in Zimbabwe which exports poultry meat to a neighboring country. The producer can now rely on laboratory test results from an accredited establishment, which can prove the absence of hazards such as antimicrobial residues. Previously, food business operators had to send samples out of the country for analysis.
“We are pleased to have a local accredited food safety laboratory that supports the testing of our food products to ensure our customers’ confidence in their safety and to save us the burden of testing overseas” , said Moses Nyanzunda, the company veterinarian.
CVL has recently been granted accreditation for certain analytical techniques (radioreceptor assays using radiotracers such as C-14 and H-3) for milk and meat according to ISO17025:2017 – the international standard for testing and calibration laboratories – for an initial period of two years starting in September 2023.
Local provision of this service is faster, cheaper, creates financial opportunities for citizens and reduces the double burden of costly outsourcing. It also reduces cross-border transportation of biological materials, a major obstacle due to concerns about the potential spread of diseases across borders.
The services rendered by the laboratory will facilitate analytical cost recovery since these companies pay for the testing services. Antimicrobial test results obtained under the National Residues Program can now be used to advise farmers on the appropriate use of chemicals in food production. The laboratory continues to regularly evaluate its capabilities by participating in (blind) proficiency testing programs supported by the IAEA Technical Cooperation Program, in which the CVL has achieved good results. Through its robust quality management system, CVL now shares best practices and related experiences with others in the region, thereby maximizing the use of regional resources.
Following the support provided to DGAL in Uganda, the institution obtained ISO17025:2017 accreditation of 14 tests including techniques for determining pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables; persistent organic pollutants found in fish and meat, as well as toxic metals like lead. Other tests include microbiology, toxicology and DNA testing carried out by six sections of the laboratory. This accreditation lasts for four years from February 2024, strengthening the confidence of users of the laboratory’s services, nationally and internationally. Maintaining accreditation means that laboratories must improve their quality management system as this is a requirement from accreditation to re-accreditation.
“The path to accreditation can be long and demanding, requiring rigorous training of staff, the installation of equipment operated by well-trained staff. We thank the IAEA for its support in this process,” said Kepher Kuchana Kateu, Director of DGAL. “Excellence in the delivery of analytical services is necessary to maintain this status beyond the four years and we are determined to maintain the standards and ensure laboratory leadership in the country and the region,” Kateu said. The DGAL plays an essential role in investigations, particularly in forensic matters, poisoning, paternity testing and food safety.
“With the support of the IAEA, which includes the installation and construction of capabilities for routine use of an inductively coupled mass spectrometer as well as the establishment of a laboratory information management system, the status of these laboratories should be significantly improved and maintain this status to remain credible,” said Anna Grigoryan, Head of Program Management at the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation.
Distributed by APO Group for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
