ILAC MRA (Mutual Recognition Arrangement)
CertificationAlso known as: ILAC, ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement, International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation
International framework that makes lab accreditation recognized across borders.
What It Means
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) is a framework where accreditation bodies worldwide agree to recognize each other's accredited laboratories as technically equivalent. When an accreditation body is an ILAC MRA signatory, test results from its accredited labs are accepted in other signatory countries without retesting. For supplement brands, ILAC MRA status is the threshold question for evaluating an accreditation body: is the accreditor recognized through the global accreditation system? A2LA, ANAB, and SCC (Canada) are ILAC MRA signatories. ILAC publishes a current list of signatories on its website.
What It Is Not
ILAC does not accredit individual laboratories. It recognizes accreditation BODIES. Whether A2LA is 'better than' ANAB is mostly practitioner opinion, not robust evidence. The meaningful signal is whether the accreditor is an ILAC MRA signatory with a searchable public scope directory. Above that threshold, accreditor identity is a contextual note, not a quality differentiator.
Evidence and References
- directoryILAC MRA and Signatories
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