AMDC's Life Sciences Lab has been awarded the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certification.
At a ceremony held at the Jen Hotel last night, Minister of Health Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim highlighted the lack of a regulatory framework to ensure food safety during product launches. However, he assured that the Ministry of Health is actively addressing the issue.
“The Food Safety Act was ratified in the Maldives this August, but the level of food testing in our laboratories remains modest,” Nazim said.
“This is the biggest challenge faced by the National Laboratory and the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA).”
Nazim emphasized the importance of AMDC's laboratory in bolstering food safety measures. Citing WHO data, he said that unsafe food consumption leads to over 400,000 deaths globally each year, with Southeast Asia affected the most.
AMDC CEO Kishore Asokan highlighted the lab's role in raising testing standards to meet ISO requirements, providing faster services for water and food testing for those who require the service, he said.
The Life Sciences Lab, which opened in March last year, offers comprehensive food and water testing services. It has the capability to conduct advanced tests, such as those for Legionella, which were previously sent overseas for testing. By offering these services locally, the lab eliminates the delays and challenges associated with sending samples abroad.