Benefits of Quality management system ISO 9001:2015
International standard that defines requirements for establishing a quality management system to control and manage your processes to better serve your customer:
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Investment and cost Associated with Conformity Assessment
When deciding on the appropriate conformity assessment approaches for a particular situation; it helps to be aware of the amount of investment and cost associated with each alternative approach. Most compliance options in regulation, resources must be committed to undertaking conformity assessment. Whether these commitments are considered to be ‘costs of compliance’ or ‘an investment’ in achieving company or public policy outcomes is a matter of perspective.
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ECAE has 6 specialized testing laboratories operating at the head quarter, and 5 of them are accredited( Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, Microbiology & textile) Radiation laboratory is in process to be accredited. Chemical laboratory is one of those accredited laboratories,
Products Tested by ECAE's Chemical Laboratory
Agricultural and food products:
Honey, Oil seeds,Beeswax, Civet, Injera, Edible oil, Soft drink, Beer, Alcoholic beverages, Bottled water, Mineral water, Tomato paste, Biscuit, Pasta & Macaronni, Juice etc......
Chemical products:
Toilet soap, laundry soap, detergent powder, liquid detergent, cement, leather products, hydrogen peroxide, iron, copper wire ,aluminum, cosmetics , fertilizer , environmental samples ...
THE NEED TO IMPROVE FOOD SAFETY AND TO IMPLEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE
The liberalization of the global trade, and the fact that the consumers in the industrialized countries are more and more demanding food to be not only economical, but also healthy, tasty, safe and sound in respect to animal welfare and the environment, are changing the so far quantity-oriented food production, guaranteeing the nutrient supply for a nation, into an international quality-oriented food market, where commodities, production areas, production chains and brands compete each other.
The competitiveness of food production will soon be more dependent on the reliability of the safety and the quality of the food and acceptability of the production procedures than on quantity and price.
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ECAE, chemical laboratory, launched analysizing of Aflatoxin (B1,B2,G1,G2 and Aflatoxin M1) as of July 2015
Using the latest technological equipment called LC MS/MS, laboratories globally perform multitoxin analyses. Thus as a part of well recognized and globally accredited laboratory, ECAE’s Chemical laboratory also has increased its capacities for analyzing aflatoxin in different food, food products and animal feeds with a shortest turn round times.
Starting from July 2015, the laboratory with its well trained staffs is able to ensure the necessary detection of Mycotoxin in trace amounts with a high number of specific , partly selective extraction , purification methods and modern testing equipment (triple quad liquid chromatography with Mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector) (HPLC-FLD) are used to identify Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 in different cereals, pulses, cereal based food and in animal feed products.
Since the enterprise has been working hand in hand with regulatory bodies by applying the newly advanced technology (triple Quad liquid chromatography LC/MS-MS), it has been selected to resolve the issue of Aflatoxin M1 in milk and milk products in Addis Abeba market and a total of 50 samples were conducted in milk and yogurt and the final report has been submitted to the government.
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Latest News
ECAE begins to test the amount of fiber found in packed foods
The service enables to identify the quality of food.
Researches currently depict that fiber found in food products help to normalize weight and prevent colleen cancer. By scaling up its capacity in well trained human resource and laboratory equipment’s, Ethiopian conformity assessment enterprise, chemical laboratory, launches to test the amount of fiber especially found in packed powder foods products.
In related news the enterprise in collaboration with water technology institute give a one month theoretical and practical training for professional staffs on how to identify the quality of drinking water through laboratory testing and also build up their understanding of food safety management system (ISO 22000) and laboratory management system (ISO 17025) which helps to play a key role in ensuring safe water for the mass.
The Ethiopian conformity assessment which is federal owned public enterprise making its services modernize deliver laboratory testing, inspection and certification services for the mass and also able to replace the systems to a newly revised once ISO/IEC 17021:2015 and ISO 9001:2015.
ECAE launches to test vitamin A, E and D found in food
The service enables to identify the quality of foods especially used for children which was before done abroad and can save hard foreign currency
Ethiopian conformity assessment, chemical laboratory, starts to test the amount of vitamin A, E and D and can widen the scope of its testing services. The service especially helps to identify the amount of vitamins (A, E and D) which are crucial for children mental maturity and physical wellbeing. The enterprise progressively builds the capacity of its staff both in and out of the country and furnished its laboratory in modern testing equipment which makes it to be competent enough to test different types of products in a wider range of parameters.
In this fiscal year based on an agreement reached between governmental and nongovernmental organizations in /out of the country various trainings were conducted on how to care and use testing equipment’s and on chemical analysis which adds up to identify the quality of products.
In related news the enterprise also starts to test and identify the opacity, brightness and whiteness of paper products in its textile and leather laboratory which was before done abroad.
Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF)
National Quality Infrastructure Development Project (NQIDP) is being designed to support the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) with the objective of addressing the major challenges concerning quality and standards in the country. The Project is anchored within the framework of the World Bank Group (WBG) current engagement on the industrialization agenda of the country to support the GoE to achieve its strategic objective of becoming “the light manufacturing hub of Africa by 2025”. NQIDP contributes to Ethiopia’s expected outcome of improved quality system, which in turn has positive impacts on the country’s ambition of achieving accelerated and sustained growth.
NQIDP is designed to strengthen NQI in Ethiopia in line with international standards and best practice so as to address the main development challenges related to NQI. The project has three interconnected components: (i) Component 1: Support to Institutional and Regulatory Development; (ii) Component 2: Support to Private Sector Engagement; and (iii) Component 3: Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation. Addressing different gaps in the supply and demand side of the NQI services, each component will leverage the inputs and outputs of other project components to ensure that the development objective of the project is realized in an integrated manner. The NQIDP proposed to cost US$50 million. The project is complementary to the ongoing WBG initiatives and within the framework of the industrialization program. Read More
USEFUL LINKS
NMIE - National Metrology Institute of Ethiopia
ESA - Ethiopian Standards Agency
ENAO - Ethiopian National Accreditation Office
IAF - International Accreditation Forum
ILAC - International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation
QA - Quality Austria
SGS - SGS
ECAE Introduction Video
