Halloween is here and there’s no better way to celebrate the holiday than by enjoying a few sweet treats! Trick or treating is a fun, time-honored tradition dating back more than 100 years and is rooted in ancient customs surrounding community, spirituality, and prosperity. And, whether you go door-to-door or sneak a bag or two into your basket at the store, laboratory accreditation helps ensure the safety of those who choose to indulge.
Just like other foods, candy is tested for chemical and biological hazards, as well as for certain allergens that can cause harmful and life-threatening reactions. Chemical and biological contamination can happen during processing, packaging, or transport, and can range from cleaning agents and pesticides to listeria, salmonella, and heavy metals from manufacturing machinery. Environmental contamination is also a possibility, affecting ingredients where they’re grown. And cross contamination can happen in a shared manufacturing facility.
An A2LA ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation helps food testing laboratories more accurately test candy for potential contaminants and allergens. The risk of foodborne illness and allergic reactions is reduced by including the use of validated testing methods, regular calibration of equipment, and the implementation of a quality management system. While an ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation alone doesn’t eliminate the possibility of contamination, it does help ensure efficient and reliable results to catch the presence of hazardous contaminants before products reach the market.
A2LA is proud to accredit some of our favorite candy companies and many food testing laboratories, like The Hershey Company, The Gluten Intolerance Group, and Michelson Laboratories, Inc. So this year, as you unwrap a piece of your favorite candy, know you can feel confident in the safety of your sweet treat.
From all of us at A2LA, have a safe and happy Halloween!