NSF International opens Abu Dhabi office

NSF International, a global independent public health organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the water, food, health sciences and consumer goods industries, has opened an office in Abu Dhabi to better meet the growing demand for testing, certification, auditing, consulting and training services in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

NSF International has been active in the Middle East for more than 25 years, working with more than 1,000 companies in the region. Establishing the NSF Middle East office will help NSF better meet the needs of its clients. NSF Middle East provides auditing and product certification services for the water and food industries, as well as Mr. Kevan P. Lawlor, president and CEO of NSF International, presents a gift to Dr. Sulaiman Al Jassim, vice president, Zayed University, at a reception honoring the grand opening of NSF Middle East which was held recently at the Emirates Palace.

Abu Dhabi is the hub of leading innovations and advancements in water quality and treatment in the Middle East and companies in the region benefit from NSF’s nearly 70 years of experience in standards development and testing for water treatment, distribution and filtration products. Availability of renewable fresh water resources per capita in the MENA region is among the lowest worldwide, constraining opportunities for development. For this reason, industry leaders and government agencies can rely on NSF International’s expertise as they increase their efforts to improve water utilities’ efficiency, develop innovative technologies and support water science policy and governance.

As a leader in water, beverage quality and management systems registration, NSF International’s experience in standards development, testing, certification and auditing can assist the public and private sectors in addressing challenges as well as expanding into new international export markets.

NSF water programs
NSF International water services include testing, certification and auditing for municipal water treatment distribution components and chemicals, plastic piping systems, plumbing fixtures and fittings, point-of-use and point-of-entry water systems. NSF International developed the American National Drinking Water Standards for chemicals and products that come in contact with drinking water (NSF/ANSI 60: Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals – Health Effects; NSF/ANSI 61: Drinking Water System Components - Health Effects).

Many international plumbing codes, and all major U.S. codes, require or accept certification to these NSF standards for pipes and plumbing components. In fact, the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) recently adopted NSF/ANSI Standard 61 as a requirement for kitchen taps and bathroom faucets. Companies in the MENA region will have access to NSF’s global market approval program to help them enter other international export markets for water distribution and treatment products by helping them navigate the product certification product approval process for these countries.

NSF food safety and beverage quality
NSF International offers a wide range of food safety auditing and certification programs in the Middle East, as well as a bottled water certification program. This program tests and certifies beverage products to globally accepted requirements from the Codex Alimentarius, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and local country standards to demonstrate the quality and safety of bottled water and beverages. NSF bottled water certification can be bundled with ISO and Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-benchmarked standards such as SQF, BRC, IFS and FSSC 22000.

Quality and environmental management systems certification
In addition to testing and certification, NSF International is a leader in providing quality assurance (QMS) and environmental management systems (EMS) certification to internationally accepted standards via its NSF-ISR subsidiary. NSF provides registration to ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 50001 (Energy), OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety), RCMS (Responsible Care Management Systems for the Chemical Industry) and other international quality, health and safety, and environmental standards.

NSF Middle East leadership
NSF Middle East will be led by Mr. Mosbah Dannaoui, an expert in water distribution product quality and testing and in quality and environmental management systems. Prior to joining NSF, Mr. Dannaoui served in many leading quality assurance and engineering positions for pipe manufacturing companies in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East region. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in mathematics and industrial technology from Texas State University, and is a certified ISO 9001 QMS and ISO 14001 EMS auditor.

As regional manager, NSF Middle East, Mr. Dannaoui will help grow NSF’s water distribution and treatment testing and certification programs throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and in North Africa. He’ll also coordinate testing and certification services to the Middle East’s food and beverage industry, as well as management systems certification services to key sectors, including real estate and construction, pharmaceutical manufacturing, energy (natural gas, oil and petroleum), transportation and mining.

“NSF International has provided testing, certification and auditing services to companies in the GCC region for nearly 25 years. Establishing the NSF Middle East office in Abu Dhabi will help us better serve our many clients in the region,” said Kevan P. Lawlor, president and CEO, NSF International. “NSF International has a long history and significant global expertise in delivering auditing and certification services for the food and drinking water industries, and in providing quality and environmental management systems certification. The Middle East region’s rapidly growing export market, coupled with the goal to produce safe, quality products for local consumption, has increased the local demand for these services. Through this office, NSF Middle East will continue to help companies in the region ensure the quality of their products and materials by demonstrating compliance with international and regional standards.”