NSF International, an independent global public health and safety organization that develops standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, water and health sciences industries, has acquired the INASSA Group of Lima, Peru, which is comprised of three segments: technical analysis, laboratory and sanitation. It is known as International Analytical Services SAC, (INASSA), Environmental Laboratories Peru SAC (Envirolab) and Servicios Integrales de Saneamiento SAC (Servisanea). The INASSA Group will now be known as NSF-INASSA, NSF-Envirolab and NSF-Servisanea.
Founded in 1981, collectively the NSF-INASSA Group is a leader in the Peruvian market in quality control, analytical testing, certifications, inspections, training and consulting. The NSF-INASSA Group provides services across the seafood, fish meal, pharmaceutical products, drinking water and mining sectors, and also works closely with regulators and government agencies. The NSF-INASSA Group employs over 220 scientists, auditors and environmental health professionals.
NSF International, which has existing offices in Peru, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica, will make NSF-INASSA Group its primary Latin American base for the full range of laboratory testing and technical services that NSF provides for the food, water, pharma and seafood sectors. Carmen Catter and Luis Bueno, founders of the INASSA Group, continue in their leadership role as General Managers of the NSF-INASSA Group.
"NSF-INASSA’s, NSF-Envirolab’s and NSF-Servisanea’s excellent reputation in both national and international markets for testing accuracy, turn-around time and customer service is a perfect complement to NSF International’s independence and integrity," said Mrs. Catter. "Together, we will continue to help improve food and environmental safety and quality in Latin America."
This acquisition expands NSF International’s reach in Latin America to include NSF-INASSA Group’s established seafood and pharma markets. Both NSF and INASSA Group clients benefit, as NSF’s global clients will now have access to INASSA Group’s fish/seafood and pharma services, and INASSA Group’s clients will gain access to NSF’s wider range of pharma, seafood and other services. It also provides additional laboratory services for NSF customers from this expanded presence in Latin America.
Fish Meal, Fish Oil and Seafood Services
NSF-INASSA Group’s 30 years of expertise in fish and seafood inspection, sanitation, container fumigation and analytic services complements NSF’s global seafood programs, which include NSF Seafood operations in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
In addition to its analytical services, NSF-INASSA Group established NSF-Servisanea to provide fumigation and general sanitation for property, buildings, cleaning tanks and cisterns as well as to offer sanitation consultation and training. NSF-Envirolab was created to perform water, soil and air analysis as well as environmental impact studies, statements and analysis. NSF-INASSA Group is also approved to provide several types of audits for the fish / seafood industry, including fish meal and fish oil plants (IFFO-RS) and chain of custody (CoC IFFO) standards. NSF-INASSA Group is authorized on behalf of Product Authentication International (PAI) to provide Feed Materials Assurance Scheme (FEMAS) audits and is the only business accredited in Peru to certify fish meal, fish oil and other feed ingredients exported to the EU.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Services
Peruvian law now requires imported pharmaceuticals and medical devices to be tested before they are released into Peru or used in a Peruvian hospital. The testing includes active pharmaceutical ingredients, microbiology and chemical testing. NSF-INASSA Group is one of only two national laboratories in Peru to be authorized by the National Health Service for the Quality Control of Medicines. This expands the geographic reach of NSF’s analytic and testing capabilities including over-the-counter medicines (OTCs), dietary supplements and medical devices. NSF also offers GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) audits in Latin America to the pharmaceutical, medical device and dietary supplement industries.
Drinking Water Distribution Services
NSF-INASSA Group extends NSF’s leadership in testing and certification of drinking water distribution products, such as plastic pipe, as the market leader in Peru. It also is authorized as a support company in Official Sanitary and Quality Certification for water distribution pipes. This is a perfect complement to NSF’s global testing and certification for water distribution systems, pipes and components, and residential and commercial water filtration systems.
"NSF International’s acquisition of the INASSA Group will expand the services we are able to provide to NSF’s customers in Peru and Latin America. In particular, NSF’s seafood, pharmaceutical/medical device and drinking water product customers will benefit significantly from NSF-INASSA Group’s analytical technical expertise and accredited laboratories," said Kevan Lawlor, President and CEO, NSF International.
"Additionally, other NSF-INASSA Group clients and companies in the Peruvian and Latin American market will benefit from NSF services in the areas of food safety, health sciences, sustainability and wastewater systems testing, certification, auditing and training. This further affirms NSF International’s commitment to providing our clients with expanded global service capabilities and resources."
Accreditations
Along with NSF’s more than 50 internationally recognized accreditations, the NSF- INASSA Group maintains several national and international accreditations. Nationally, it is accredited by the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Intellectual Property Protection (INDECOPI) and to ISO 17025 for testing, ISO 17020 for inspection management, ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO Guide 65 for product certification. Internationally, NSF-INASSA Group is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).