The IOAS is a quality organisation and heavily steeped in the world of standards and conformity assessment. We strive for excellence and know that there is always more we can do. We want to make our clients better organisations so we try to lead by example, by today being better than yesterday.
The IOAS is committed to providing a quality accreditation service of high integrity at the lowest possible cost to certification bodies.
We ourselves are continuously supervised by various government and international agencies and believe these external eyes keep us on our toes.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
The IOAS is also supervised by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency specifically for its work as a Conformity Verification Body under the Canada Organic Products Regulation of 2009. The IOAS is one of several organisations designated to assess certification bodies under the Canada Organic Regime. The recognition is similarly based on continued compliance with ISO/IEC 17065.
International Accreditation Forum, Inc. (IAF)
The IOAS is a signatory of the IAF MLA for the main scope ISO/IEC 17065.
Accreditation body and Regional Accreditation Group members of IAF are admitted to the IAF MLA only after a most stringent evaluation of their operations by a peer evaluation team which is charged to ensure that the applicant member complies fully with both the international standards and IAF requirements.
The IAF is the world association of Conformity Assessment Accreditation Bodies and other bodies interested in conformity assessment in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel and other similar programmes of conformity assessment. Its primary function is to develop a single worldwide programme of conformity assessment which reduces risk for business and its customers by assuring them that accredited certificates may be relied upon. Accreditation assures users of the competence and impartiality of the body accredited.
Asia Pacific Accreditation cooperation (APAC)
The IOAS is a full member of the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)– a regional group of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) representing the interests of Asia-Pacific-Pacific economies.
On June 16, 2016 IOAS also became a signatory of the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement for Product Certification operated by APAC.
The ultimate objective of both APAC and IAF is the creation of a global system that grants international recognition of certification or registration of management systems, products, services, personnel and other programmes of conformity assessment.
APAC operates within the framework of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and in cooperation with other regional groups of accreditation bodies around the world. The primary means by which IAF achieve its aims is by the establishment of MLAs which provide for world-wide recognition of certificates of conformity issued by certification bodies accredited by members of IAF.
The IOAS is proud to have achieved this recognition, a demonstration of the equivalence of IOAS with other accreditation bodies and important in IOAS’ ongoing commitment to excellence in its work.
Please note:
The IOAS performs its work according to ISO/IEC 17011 and wishes to make clear that it is not a national accreditation body and does not perform accreditation in Europe as defined by REGULATION (EC) No 765/2008.
