Mérieux NutriSciences expects to expand capabilities in new lab

17-May-2017 - Last updated on 18-May-2017 at 10:34 GMT

Back (L-R): Marle Braun, Walter Brandl, Jason Wong, Jessie Trierweiler, Catrin Hall, Megan Irvine, Greg Forster, Randy Fleener. Front (L-R): Cathy Shevchuk, Jim Miller

Mérieux NutriSciences has moved one of its Canadian food testing labs to a new, 24,000 square foot facility.

The firm said the lab layout in Burnaby, British Columbia supports a more efficient sample flow and provides room to expand chemistry capabilities.

It is one of four the firm has in Canada and one of twenty-one in North America.

The site caters to the dietary supplement, meat and poultry, fish and seafood, fruit and vegetables and processed food industries.

However, the company expects to expand capabilities to reach more customers by late fall.

The move enhances microbiological testing capabilities in the Vancouver area, including the upper northwest region of the US.

Microbiological enhancements include tests such as E. coli O157 and additional rapid methods for detecting Salmonella and Listeria in raw and processed products.

Jim Miller, Mérieux NutriSciences president for North America, said the lab will give it the ability to enhance analytical testing, especially for microbiology.

“To understand our customers’ needs is to understand where the industry is headed. The feedback we were getting from our customers had a lot of influence on our decision for this move.”

Present in 21 countries, Mérieux NutriSciences employs 6,500 people working in close to 100 labs.