NMKL - NordVal International

What NMKL - NordVal International does

NMKL (Nordic-Baltic Committee on Food Analysis) is a non-profit standards organization founded in 1947 that develops standardized methods and procedures for the chemical, microbiological, and sensory analysis of food, feed, water, faeces and environmental samples. Since 2007 it has also operated NordVal International, an independent third-party service that reviews and certifies alternative proprietary methods used by testing laboratories. The organization serves National Reference Laboratories (NRLs), Official Control Laboratories (OCLs), and commercial food-testing laboratories across eight Nordic-Baltic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).

NMKL's core technology is a portfolio of standardized analytical procedures — including flagship documents such as NMKL Procedure 4 (validation of chemical methods), NordVal Protocol 1 (validation of microbiological methods), and NMKL107 (titratable acidity in milk and cream) — maintained by committees of chemists, microbiologists, sensory analysts, and statisticians drawn from member countries. The NordVal certification track applies these protocols to validate proprietary methods from third-party method developers before they are adopted by laboratories. The organization also runs Nordic PT (proficiency testing), publishes free method-development resources aligned with CODEX guidance, and hosts workshops, courses, and seminars on good laboratory practices.

The business model is twofold: (1) Publications sales — standardized methods distributed as downloadable files through a WooCommerce web shop under online subscription (recurring) or single-purchase terms, and (2) NordVal certification services — paid third-party reviews with documented prices, terms, and application forms. The secretariat is hosted by the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway since November 2020, and the organization is institutionally linked to the Nordic Council of Ministers through the EK-FJLS Food committee. NMKL is led by Executive Director Eystein Oveland (Norway, since Nov 2020) and President Janne Nieminen (Finland, since Sept 2024), and operates with approximately 5 employees.

Name

NMKL - NordVal International

Legal name

Nordic-Baltic Committee on Food Analysis (NMKL)

Website

https://nmkl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NMKL (Nordic-Baltic Committee on Food Analysis) is a non-profit standards organization founded in 1947 that develops standardized food analysis methods and runs the NordVal third-party certification service for alternative microbiological and chemical testing methods used by Nordic and Baltic laboratories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Analysis Standardization and Method Certification

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulatory Compliance Testing (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food, Feed & Nutraceutical Analytical Testing (HLAGADAN), Microbiological Reference Cultures, Strains & Controls (Food Micro) (AFALAKAF)

Keywords

• Food analysis methods
• Method certification services
• Laboratory proficiency testing
• Microbiological testing standards
• Chemical analytical validation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergen

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Publications Sales: Standardized methods and procedures available as downloadable files through online subscription or single purchase via web shop (WooCommerce).
2. NordVal Certification Services: Third-party review and certification of alternative methods for microbiological and chemical testing.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NMKL develops and publishes standardized methods and procedures for food analysis (microbiology, chemistry, sensory analysis) and, through NordVal International, provides independent third-party review and certification of alternative methods for microbiological and chemical testing of food, feed, water, faeces, and environmental samples. Methods and procedures are sold as downloadable files via online subscription or single purchase, and free resources (proficiency testing, method development guidance, training events) are also provided.

Product overview

NMKL - NordVal International is a Nordic-Baltic standardization organization that operates as two interconnected offerings: (1) NordVal International, an independent third-party certification service that reviews and certifies alternative methods for microbiological and chemical testing of food, feed, water, faeces, and environmental samples; and (2) NMKL Publications, a portfolio of standardized analytical methods and procedures (such as NMKL Procedure 4 for chemical methods and NordVal Protocol 1 for microbiology) available via subscription or single purchase. The organization also provides free resources including method development guidance, proficiency testing, and training events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NordVal International Certification Independent third-party review and certification of alternative methods for microbiological and chemical testing of food, feed, water, faeces, and environmental samples, intended for method developers and testing laboratories.
• NMKL Publications Portfolio of standardized methods and procedures for food analysis, sold as downloadable files through online subscription or single purchase via the NMKL web shop.
• Nordic Proficiency Testing (Nordic PT)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nordic Council of Ministers (EK-FJLS Food)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNMKL is linked to Nordic Council of Ministers through EK-FJLS Food committee, providing standardized food analysis methods across Nordic and Baltic regions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AOAC International: Global non-profit that develops and validates analytical methods for food and related matrices through the OMA (Official Methods of Analysis) program. Closest international analogue to NordVal's alternative-method certification role.
• FAPAS (Food and Environment Research Agency): UK-based global proficiency testing provider for food and environmental analysis. Directly comparable to NMKL's Nordic PT proficiency testing program in offering inter-laboratory performance benchmarking.
• Eurachem: European network focused on analytical chemistry accreditation, validation and uncertainty guidance. Comparable to NMKL's chemical method validation protocols (e.g. NMKL Procedure 4) and serves overlapping NRL/OCL audiences.
• BIPEA (Bureau Interprofessionnel d'Études Analytiques): France-based provider of proficiency testing schemes and reference materials for food, feed and environmental analysis. Comparable to NMKL on proficiency testing and method validation support for accredited laboratories.
• MicroVal: European certification body for the validation of alternative microbiological methods, backed by a network of expert laboratories. Direct competitor in the EU alternative-method certification space that NordVal operates in.

Others

• Institute of Marine Research (Havforskningsinstituttet): Norwegian government research institute hosting the NMKL secretariat since November 2020. Acts as administrative host rather than a method-development competitor, but is central to NMKL's operational continuity.
• Nordic Council of Ministers (EK-FJLS Food): Official inter-parliamentary and inter-governmental cooperation body of the Nordic and Baltic countries. NMKL is structurally linked to this institution via the EK-FJLS Food committee, making it both a sponsor/funder and policy alignment reference.

Regional players

• International Dairy Federation (IDF/FIL): International body developing standards and methods for the dairy sector, including the AOAC-IDF collaborative method validation work. Overlaps with NMKL on dairy-specific methods such as NMKL107 Titratable Acidity in Milk and Cream.

Broad incumbents

• AFNOR Certification: French national standards body and major certifier offering validation of alternative methods (NF VALIDATION scheme). Operates a competing method-certification brand that food manufacturers and labs use across Europe.
• CEN/TC 275 (Food Analysis - Horizontal Methods): European standardization technical committee responsible for horizontal methods in food analysis. Overlaps with NMKL's standardization work but at the formal European standards (EN) level rather than regional Nordic-Baltic method corpus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nmkl-nordval-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NMKL - NordVal International