Finnish Food Authority’s laboratory services (Finnish Food Authority’s laboratories) carry out laboratory diagnostics for animal and plant diseases, and laboratory analyses of food, feed, fertilisers and plants. The laboratories also offer expert services related to these subjects.
Laboratory and expert services are offered to both competent authorities and private customers.
The laboratories also perform scientific research and participate in national and international cooperation.
Finnish Food Authority ’s laboratories function as national reference laboratories in the fields of food and feed analyses, veterinary (animal disease) diagnostics and plant analyses.
The laboratories are responsible for laboratory analyses of extensive monitoring and surveillance programmes required by the EU and national legislation. These programmes include, for example, antimicrobial resistance monitoring, the residue monitoring programme, animal disease monitoring programmes, monitoring of diseases transmissible from animals to humans (zoonoses), and plant disease monitoring programmes.
There are 260 people working for Finnish Food Authority’s laboratory services and there are laboratory operations in five cities (Helsinki, Loimaa, Kuopio, Oulu and Seinäjoki).
Quality of laboratory operations
Finnish Food Authority’s laboratories comply with a quality and operation system pursuant to standard ISO/IEC 17025. The proficiency of laboratory operations and the validity of results have been demonstrated with accreditation that meets international criteria.
The laboratory has an accreditation granted by the FINAS accrediting service. FINAS is an independent operator and accreditation granted by them complies with EU regulations, and European and international recognition agreements. Finnish Food Authority’s FINAS accreditation ID is T014. The laboratories have over 150 effective and accredited analyses methods in the fields of chemistry, plant analytics, microbiology, bacteriology, virology and parasitology. Valid accreditation and testing methods are described on the FINAS website
Finnish Food Athority’s seedlaboratory also have accreditation for seed testing granted by ISTA (International Seed Testing Association).
The official and own-checks laboratories approved by Finnish Food Authority are also as a rule evaluated and/or accredited by FINAS in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17025 standard.