Mérieux NutriSciences relocates food testing lab

Mérieux NutriSciences is to move its food testing facility to close to the University of Florida campus.

The site will move from southwest Gainesville to a 22,700 square foot location one mile east of downtown Gainesville and open in April next year.

The company is retaining 70 jobs in the Greater Gainesville Region and plans to add 30 new ones over the next two years.

It said the site would be a hub for future growth from restaurant and nutrition-based services and clients.

Jim Miller, Mérieux NutriSciences president for North America, said the lab will help support the diversified needs of the food industry for years to come.

Mérieux NutriSciences acquired ABC Research in 2015 and planned to create a nutritional testing center of excellence.

The Gainesville lab is designed to provide microbiology and nutritional chemistry testing, food safety and quality research services to restaurant chains, foodservice providers and food manufacturers primarily in the Southeastern US.

Rory Causseaux, chair of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Council for Economic Outreach, said: “Having…Mérieux NutriSciences is a win for both the company, which stands to benefit from the research and innovation capabilities of the University of Florida and for our community, for which this announcement represents a new opportunity to build upon its reputation as a leading US agricultural sciences hub.”

Other partners include the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Economic Outreach, Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency and The City of Gainesville.