INTRODUCTION OF AN ACCREDITED QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEM IN A POSTHARVEST LABORATORY: THE FAIRY GARDEN BEYOND THE PAPER MOUNTAIN

Abstract

The Flanders Centre of Postharvest Technology (VCBT) has introduced an accredited quality control system according to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. The accredited scope covers the measurements of quality attributes of fruits and vegetables. The implementation of the system involved the fulfilment of several management and technical requirements. Therefore a well structured document flow was established. Whereas for some measurements ISO standards were available, for other methods new procedures, calibration and validation methods had to be developed. A lot of effort was paid towards developing a training program for the staff. Also an efficient monitoring and control of the work and the storage conditions was necessary to produce valid test results. This accreditation has made it possible to meet the requirements of the customers of the VCBT, i.e. the Belgian Fruit and Vegetable Auctions. INTRODUCTION Nowadays, consumers and retailers are not only concerned about the safety and the quality of fruits and vegetables, but also about the way they are produced. Leading European food retailers have established the EUREP GAP Protocol, which describes best practice for global production of fresh produce and horticultural products. Because of legislative and market pressures, fruit and vegetable auctions also need to comply with quality standards (HACCP, ISO 9002). This implies that, when auctions appeal to laboratories for routine analyses of quality attributes, such as absence of residue and microbial contamination, firmness, and soluble solids content, they expect reliable test results. For this reason the Flanders Centre of Postharvest Technology (VCBT), has decided to implement a quality system according to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. Moreover, an accredited quality system in the VCBT was necessary to improve the internal quality of the measurements, to have a competitive advantage and to meet the market demands. In this way the laboratory intends to guarantee its competence to generate technically valid test results. The aim of this paper was to give a short overview about the quality systems applied in the industry of fresh fruits and vegetables and to outline the experience of the VCBT with the implementation of an accredited quality system with special emphasis on the unavoidable administrative burden, calibration and verification of measuring equipment and education of personnel.