JANAAC Awards Three Local Labs for Achieving International Accreditation

Three locally-based laboratories have been awarded for achieving initial accreditation under the ISO/IEC 17025 International Standard.

Entities gaining formal recognition under JANAAC Global Accreditation include the Pharmaceutical Laboratory of the Department of Government Chemist; the China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) Laboratory; and the Petrojam Quality Assurance Laboratory.

The presentations were made during JANAAC’s 2025 CEO’s Breakfast and Accreditation Awards, held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on Tuesday (August 26).

The accreditation affirms that the facilities conform to the highest global benchmarks for competence, impartiality, and operational consistency, as defined by the ISO/IEC 17025 Standard.

The Standard was jointly developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Aubyn Hill, in his keynote address, underscored the significance of attaining accreditation and emphasised the benefits it offers to businesses.

“Each of these achievements sends a powerful message. In pharmaceuticals, Department of Government Chemist accreditation means our citizens and global partners can trust the safety and quality of medicines coming from, or are being sold in Jamaica. In construction and infrastructure, CHEC’s laboratory accreditation means the roads, bridges, and buildings that give structure and are crucial to the powering of our economy are tested reliably and built to last,” he explained.

“In petroleum and energy, Petrojam’s accreditation means our fuels meet rigorous global standards, reinforcing energy security and trade competitiveness. That’s very important,” the Minister added.

Mr. Hill noted that JANAAC is one of only four agencies globally recognised by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to accredit laboratories whose certified products may enter the U.S. market without further testing—a distinction he said will attract more investors to Jamaica.

“It conveys a powerful message. When a Jamaican entity is accredited by JANAAC Global Accreditation, investors, trading partners and global businesses know they are conducting business with, and in a country that is serious, well-performing, credible and trustworthy,” he said.

Meanwhile, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of JANAAC, Dr. Yvette Castell, highlighted the agency’s achievements.

These include the issuance of 66 certificates of accreditation, and mutual and multilateral agreements with the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC), THE International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

Dr. Castell further noted that JANAAC is the sole internationally recognised accreditation body in the English-speaking Caribbean and the only regional accreditation entity to have earned USFDA recognition under the Third-Party Certification Program and the Laboratory Accreditation for Analysis of Foods (LAAF) Program.

“These recognitions create opportunities for JANAAC-accredited laboratories in foreign markets… they reduce our trade barriers [and] promote Jamaica’s competitive position on a global level,” she pointed out.

Dr. Castell reaffirmed JANAAC’s unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards of quality in accreditation services across Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

In their responses, the awardees expressed sincere gratitude for the recognition, noting that the journey toward initial accreditation is rigorous and demands sustained effort

They also committed to upholding the standards of their initial accreditation, which will be evaluated through three annual follow-up assessments designed to ensure the continued quality and integrity of the services they provide.

JANAAC Global Accreditation is an agency under the Ministry of Industry Investment and Commerce.