Q Laboratories, Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio) has been named an AFNOR Certified Expert Laboratory, thereby qualified to perform validation studies on instruments, test kits and materials for the food microbiology testing industry in France. Representatives of Q Laboratories, Inc. were in Paris, France the week of January 22nd to present before the Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR) Technical Board. Based on the results of this presentation, they were granted Expert Lab status.  By acquiring AFNOR Expert Laboratory NF 102 Validation status, Q Laboratories, Inc. is one of only two labs in the world, and the only lab in the Western Hemisphere, certified by all three major certification bodies, AOAC, MicroVAL and AFNOR, to perform these critical independent laboratory studies.

AFNOR is the French national organization for standardization and its International Organization for Standardization member body.  A benchmark player in certification and assessment, AFNOR Certification has supported organizations in all sectors and of all sizes for nearly 25 years, helping them improve their competitiveness and have their good practices endorsed by quality marks recognized by professionals.

MicroVal is a European certification organization for the validation and approval of alternative methods for the microbiological analysis of foods, animal feeding stuffs, beverages and food environmental samples (water, sponges, swabs, etc.). MicroVal validates and certifies alternative methods in order to show that they perform as well as internationally standardized methods.  MicroVal certification of alternative methods will ensure their acceptance by governmental inspection laboratories and laboratories in the food industry, throughout Europe, thus facilitating commerce within the European Union. MicroVal Expert Laboratories perform comparative studies in order to validate the alternative methods as statistically comparable to the established method(s).

AOAC International is a globally recognized, independent, third-party association and voluntary consensus standards developing organization. AOAC develops analytical methods for a broad spectrum of safety interests including foods, beverages and dietary supplements. AOAC’s primary activity is the development of globally accepted standards.  The AOAC® Official Methods^SM and Performance Tested Methods^SM Programs are designed to provide evaluated methods that can be used with confidence by regulated industry, regulatory agencies, contract research organizations and testing laboratories, and academic institutions. Official Methods^SM and Performance Tested Methods^SM undergo rigorous scientific scrutiny, through studies performed by AOAC Expert Laboratories, to demonstrate the highest level of confidence in a method.