IOAS has been delivering accreditation and assurance services worldwide for over 25 years. Our commitment to high standards and integrity has earned us the respect and trust of both private and regulatory scheme owners. We take pride in being a recognized authority across the organic and sustainability sectors.
To maintain our excellence, we undergo regular peer reviews, ensuring compliance with ISO/IEC 17011, verifying that our quality system meets requirements, and confirming that our team remains competent in the schemes and standards we assess.
IOAS is a signatory of the International Accreditation Forum Multi-Lateral Agreement (IAF MLA) for the main scope ISO/IEC 17065. Accreditation bodies and Regional Accreditation Group members must undergo a rigorous evaluation of their operations to ensure compliance with international standards and IAF requirements. IOAS is also a member of the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) and a signatory of the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for Product Certification operated by APAC. This includes thorough assessments from APAC/IAF every four years, where we are measured against ISO/IEC 17011 and all IAF mandatory documents and resolutions.
IOAS is also supervised by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) specifically for our work as a Conformity Verification Body under the Canada Organic Regime (COR). This includes full reassessments of IOAS every five years, with intermediate surveillances and witness audits occurring annually to ensure ongoing compliance with ISO/IEC 17011 and all CFIA requirements relevant to COR.
We ensure that we maintain best-in-class assurance by continuously refining our processes and engaging in regular training, participating in global scheme events, and incorporating feedback from our clients to consistently enhance our service quality and maintain our leadership position in the industries in which we operate.
As of 1 January 2026, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) were merged into a new, single entity: Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated. A new Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA) has been established and IOAS is now a full signatory member.
Please see the official press release here.
Existing accreditations issued under the IAF MLA will continue to be recognized as arrangements transition to the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated MRA.
Accreditation bodies (ABs), certification bodies (CBs), scheme owners and regional groups will continue operating as normal through the transition. Existing marks remain valid during transition, meaning that the IAF MLA mark will remain valid for as long as required until full adoption of the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated new mark.
IOAS accredited certification bodies are to continue normal operations, maintaining use of the current IAF mark during the transition period. The Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated is currently developing its own mark and undergoing trademark and licensing processes. Once the new mark is available for use, IOAS will provide guidance to its accredited CBs and will update its policy, PL0515 Use of the IOAS Accreditation Symbol.
Any questions should be directed to Teresa Barnett, IOAS Quality Director, at barnett@IOAS.org
Our Team Competence
At IOAS, training is a cornerstone of our commitment to excellence. We take pride in the exceptional quality of our team’s performance in rigorously maintaining and upholding scheme standards. Our team is comprised of specialists with diverse technical expertise across the industries we serve.
All personnel undergo comprehensive Induction Training, which includes familiarization with business policies, quality procedures and our systems. This training ensures that every team member is aligned with IOAS’s vision, mission and goals, providing a strong foundation for their role.
All technical personnel additionally receive exhaustive technical training that involves in depth induction on all the requirements relevant to the schemes they are assigned to, as well as extensive training on assessment and risk evaluation techniques. This initial training involves theoretical as well as practical activities including document reviews and on-site assessments observed and peer-reviewed by senior lead assessors.
To facilitate continuous improvement we host annual general training on IOAS procedures and assessment techniques, as well as regular training on scheme updates. This rigorous approach ensures that our team remains at the forefront of industry standards and practices. We monitor assessor performance through regular peer-reviews of reports and assessment observations, as well as formal performance reviews by the line manager.
To continually enhance our services, we actively seek feedback from clients through post-assessment surveys. This feedback helps us identify training needs and refine our processes and are integral to our team performance reviews. By integrating client feedback into our training and development efforts, we ensure that our team maintains high standards of competence and effectiveness in delivering accreditation and assurance services.