Each 11^th February, the World celebrates the “International Day of Women and Girls in Science”, an occasion to remember that a lot must still be accomplished to achieve gender equality in several domains, including science. In EA, and the accreditation world in general, there are no role a woman can’t fulfil. Last term, the EA President was a man, Ignacio Pina (ENAC), and this term belongs to a woman Maureen Logghe (BELAC). Besides, EA has made of gender equality and non-discrimination more largely an issue for discussion in the Horizontal Harmonisation Committee and at the policy and technical management level of EA. Peer-evaluators nominated by EA members are equally women and men. What about Conformity Assessment Bodies?

Marie-Hélène Liardou-Deluret is the Founder and President of the laboratory “Goûts et Couleurs” specialised in sensory analysis, in Limoges, France, and accredited by the French National Accreditation Body COFRAC.

Marie-Hélène Liardou-Deluret, could you please tell us more about your background and activity?
I obtained a Bachelor in Biochemistry and attended the school of conserve in Paris (school specialised in the conservation of food products), which was followed by an internship in a fruit conserve factory (the first experience into the degustation world) and a consultant degree in food-processing. I was then welcomed into the meat department of INRA (National institute of agronomic research) where I learned a lot in the area of sensory analysis. I attended a training-internship in business creation and once back in the Limousin region, I funded the LLC (Limited Liability Company) “Goûts et Couleurs” 30 years ago.

The laboratory is specialised in sensory analysis and training, and is applying a methodology using sense to measure food’s organoleptic properties in order to answer clients’ product problematics.

The main measuring tool is the Human-being: an expert tester or a consumer, depending on the clients’ request, sitting in individual degustation’ booth to try and evaluate products anonymously through vision, taste, olfaction, texture, and hearing. Samples are prepared in our kitchen, and distributed to the testers. Thanks to their feedback, a statistical analysis is produced and delivered to the client.

If a company would like to characterize its products, the experts jury, 8 to 15 people, will produce an analysis based on their sense. If a company is more interested in how his product is accepted and perceived, consumers will give their opinion, with a sample group, 60 to 100 consumers, chosen based on criteria such as age or socio-professional categories.

When I first opened the laboratory “Goûts et Couleurs”, consumer testing didn’t really exist, analyses were affiliated to the research area, mainly on products’ characterisation with varietal or animal species comparison. In my opinion, consumers’ testing was initiated by large retailers.

When were your laboratory first accredited by COFRAC and on which scope?
During my schooling in INRA, I was trained on sensory analysis, based on the AFNOR¹ norms. When I started my activity, there was no need to be accredited to work in this field. Over time, in order to work with “Label Rouge²” products’ clients, it was mandatory to be accredited by COFRAC. The laboratory “Goûts et Couleurs” gained its accreditation as a testing laboratory according to ISO/IEC 17025 since 2002.

What has been the impact of accreditation on your activity?
Accreditation has many benefits, it allows laboratories to access to the “Label Rouge” market (a strong label in the Limousin region), and to a network of accredited laboratories who we can exchange with on practises and find areas of improvement. Accreditation guarantees the processes’ harmonization and a constant security food safety for consumers. It’s a virtuous circle that enhances a continuous improvement.

Today is Girl and Women in Science international day. How do you see the Woman’s place in the field of science?
In the early days of my career, during a meeting in a food-processing company with services’ managers and the Director (mainly men), the Director was the last to enter the room and said “Morning Gentlemen”, even though I was the one leading the meeting.

Woman’s place in the food-processing area, at high position roles, is progressing slowly for multiple reasons. I’ve just been nominated Vice-President into the board of food-processing association. I’m the first and only woman nominated in that position in 30 years of existence.

Thirty years ago, I had the chance to get a bank loan to open my company as a woman. All of this was possible thanks to the bail from the women’s right delegation, a first for this bank and I can’t thank enough the Delegation.

 

¹ AFNOR is the French Standardization Body

² “Label Rouge” is a French product quality mark for food