NFTMC ACCREDITED TO MEET INTERNATIONAL TESTING REQUIREMENTS

By Lucy Kopana

The National Food Testing and Monitoring Centre (NFTMC) at PNGUoT is now able to meet internationally recognized testing requirements, as a fully accredited food testing laboratory under the ISO/IEC17025 international standard.

***The NFTMC is located at PNGUoT’s Taraka Campus in Lae.***

This will enable food industries to carry out food testing in country, instead of sending samples overseas for testing.

The Head of School of Applied Sciences Dr Lydia Yalambing said this a significant milestone, not only for the school, but for the partners and stakeholders involved as well.

“The Accreditation of NFTMC is a testament to our unwavering commitment to our excellence in food safety, and quality standards.”

“Elevates our capacity to conduct high quality research and provides our students and staff in the school and university with access to some of the cutting-edge technologies and methodologies in food analysis and monitoring.”

“This advancement will not only benefit the academic community at the university, but also boosts and strengthens the capabilities of the food industry in ensuring that our sea food products meet the stringent requirements of international markets such as the EU markets and the emerging opportunities in China and elsewhere.”

**Dr Yalambing during the announcement of the official accreditation at Lae International Hotel.**

Dr Yalambing acknowledged the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) as a key partner that has supported NFTMC’s journey, describing the partnership as a “cornerstone of this success”.

The NFTMC is the result of a partnership that was forged in 2014, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between PNGUoT’s Applied Science Department (now the School of Applied Science) and the National Fisheries Authority.

Work on establishing the NFTMC was officially launched in 2018, followed by a revised MOU which was signed in December 2022. The NFTMC’s objectives under the MOU were to become a fully accredited food testing laboratory, to provide analytical testing services to meet national and international importing country requirements, and to maintain the accreditation status through continual improvement.

Following the signing of the revised MoU the chemistry and microbiology laboratories were partitioned to cater for highly sensitive lab equipment; and an initial accreditation assessment that was carried out on 12th – 13th of December in 2023. A total of 26 analytical test reports were issued to NFA as the partner in Lae, Madang and Wewak in 2023.

In February this year (2024), NFTMC commissioned the two laboratories, equipment, renovated facilities, and vehicle donated by the NFA.

Vice Chancellor Professor Ora Renagi expressed his delight at the results of the PNGUoT and NFA partnership, saying PNGUoT will continue to support this development.

***PNGUoT’s VC giving his speech during the official announcement of NFTMC in Lae.***

Dr Yalambing said this partnership exemplifies how academia and industry can work together in to achieve common goals to benefit society and economy at large.

NFTMC’s accreditation to the international standard elevates its credibility to produce reliable analytical test results. Companies and organizations that require analytical testing to be carried out in an accredited laboratory now can use NFTMC for their analytical needs.

NFTMC’s Manager Justin Narimbi said apart from servicing the fisheries sector, NFTMC is open to provide analytical testing to other food/feed industries and commodity sectors.

***Mr. Narimbi during the opening of the laboratory reopening at PNGUoT’s Applied Science Department in Lae.***

NFTMC’s current scope of accreditation include; Histamine in Foods/Feeds by the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and Various Microbiological Analysis in Foods and Water (Total Plate Count (TPC), Total coliforms, Faecal coliforms, E.coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and Enterococci.

“NFTMC can also carry out additional analytical testing such as proximate analysis, macro and micronutrient analysis, vitamins and trace metals analysis in food/feeds. It can also carry out analytical testing on water and wastewater samples for various physicochemical parameters. While these additional testing are not included in the current scope of accreditation, they will be added soon.”

Mr Narimbi added that the technical staff of NFTMC and the School of Applied Sciences worked hard in achieving this accreditation milestone, and demonstrated great professionalism in their work.