Lab accreditation: ISO/IEC 17025 and UKAS

What ISO/IEC 17025 is

ISO/IEC 17025 sets out requirements for laboratories to show they operate competently and produce valid results.^[1] It covers how methods are validated, how equipment is calibrated, how quality is controlled, how staff are trained and how results are reported. A laboratory accredited to it has been assessed by an independent accreditation body against those requirements.

Who accredits laboratories

International recognition arrangements mean accreditation in one country is generally respected in others, which is why a laboratory abroad can be a valid choice for UK products; see “UK lab tested” claims.

Accreditation scope: the detail that matters

A laboratory isn’t accredited for everything it does. Its accreditation covers a defined scope: particular tests, methods and sample types. A laboratory might be accredited for metals by ICP-MS but not for a particular identity method. Some reports mark which results are within the accredited scope. If a report doesn’t make this clear, you can ask, or check the laboratory’s published scope.

How to check a laboratory

1. Find the accreditation statementOn the report or the laboratory’s website.
2. Note the accreditation body and numberFor example, UKAS or DAkkS.
3. Search the body’s directoryTo confirm the laboratory and its scope.
4. Check the scope covers your testsMetals, microbiology and so on.

What accreditation doesn’t tell you

• That the product is safeIt shows the laboratory is competent, not that results are good.
• That the right tests were doneThe brand chooses which tests to request.
• That the sample represents your jarThat depends on sampling and the batch link.

See what accreditation does and doesn’t tell you.

An example on a real report

The AGROLAB LUFA report for Nature Elixirs batch SJ2509 states accreditation to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018, the German adoption of the standard.^[3] AGROLAB LUFA is based in Germany, where accreditation is handled by DAkkS. Nature Elixirs is a brand evaluated by Best Shilajit UK. Read our evaluation to see the evidence and documentation we reviewed.

In-house vs accredited third-party testing

Some brands test in their own laboratories. In-house testing can be useful for routine checks, but an accredited third-party laboratory adds independence and assessed competence. For safety results such as metals, an accredited external laboratory is the stronger evidence; see independent vs brand-provided COAs.

Versions of the standard

The current version of the standard dates from 2017; national adoptions, such as the German DIN EN version, may carry their own date. A report stating accreditation to an earlier version may simply reflect older wording, but it is reasonable to ask.

Why accreditation matters for shilajit

Shilajit testing involves measuring very low levels of toxic metals in a complex organic-mineral material, which is technically demanding. An accredited laboratory has shown that its methods are validated, its instruments calibrated and its results checked against reference materials. For a result such as mercury against a 0.1 mg/kg limit,^[4] that competence matters.

Reading an accreditation statement

Accreditation statements usually name the standard, the accreditation body and a registration number, and sometimes mark accredited results with a symbol. If a report says only “ISO certified”, ask which standard: ISO 9001, for example, is a quality management standard and isn’t the same as ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory accreditation.

Putting it into practice

When you receive a report, find the accreditation statement, note the body and number, and check the laboratory’s scope covers the tests on your report. If anything is unclear, ask the brand or laboratory. Our COA checklist includes this step.

Checking a laboratory abroad

For a laboratory outside the UK, search its national accreditation body’s directory in the same way. Most bodies publish searchable lists of accredited laboratories and their scopes. If you can’t find the laboratory or its scope, ask the brand to share the accreditation certificate, which a careful brand or laboratory can usually provide. Keep a note of what you find with the report, so you only need to check each laboratory once.

The bottom line

ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation shows a laboratory has been independently assessed as competent for specific tests. Check the accreditation body, confirm the scope covers the tests on your report, and remember that accreditation tells you about the laboratory, not about whether the results are good.

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