The International Organization for Standardization is a non-governmental, global network of 162 national standards organizations around the world. It’s universally known as ISO, not an acronym but a name taken from the Greek word “isos” for equal, so the abbreviation is the same in every country, regardless of language.
Because today’s food supply comes from all corners of the globe, ISO works with members to set guidance and best practices for food production and testing methods to maintain a safe, high-quality and abundant supply of food.
Standards issued by ISO are increasingly important in global trade, and they have a direct impact on the acceptance of dairy products from the United States, as well as competing countries, in key export markets. IDFA supports ISO’s efforts and works with select ISO committees within the United States to represent the dairy industry in the standards development process. IDFA believes it is important to remain involved so that U.S. dairy experts and stakeholders, and not people outside the industry, are deciding the standards we follow.
The U.S. member organization of ISO is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which works with industry groups, including IDFA, when food and dairy experts are needed.
For more information, contact John Allan, IDFA vice president, regulatory affairs and international standards, at jallan@idfa.org.
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and International Standards
