Intertek Acquires Food Analytical Laboratories in the UK

01 Aug 2011

London – Intertek, a leading global provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries, has acquired the Food Analytical Laboratories (FAL), a leading chemical and microbiological food testing lab in the UK. It joins Intertek's network of around eight expert food laboratories across Europe and a total of 24 worldwide.

Based in Stoke on Trent, UK, FAL is a leading food testing lab in Europe, with fast turnaround times to provide analysis on time and on budget. FAL provides analytical testing and research services to companies that develop, produce and distribute food, functional foods and drinks. Its chemical testing services help companies monitor for the presence of residues, pesticides and antibiotics for compliance with regulations and quality standards. Its microbiological services help manufacturers to ensure that their food products are safe for human consumption and to test for pathogens and allergens. FAL also conducts drinking water testing.

FAL helps clients to verify nutrient content and other properties during the development and registration stages of regulated foods and nutrition supplements. Consumer demand for products that promote good health and improve well being is driving growth in the food and functional food market. At the same time, global regulation around functional foods has increased and companies are required to demonstrate the accuracy of product composition and nutritional or health benefit claims before launching them into the market through specific testing and analysis.

"We are pleased to extend our capabilities in the UK, where we see clients' food testing needs increasing as UK and European nutritional regulations and national Food Safety legislation continues to develop" said Chetan Parmar, Vice President of Intertek Food & Agri Services. "Food scares continue to remind the industry of the need for good food safety practices and supply chain monitoring, while our clients continue to innovate new food products, ingredients and packaging, which is also an area of FAL expertise".

Dr. Kurt-Peter Raezke, Director of Testing & Analytics for Intertek Food Services, adds: "This acquisition will allow us to increase our support to UK producers and developers of food and offer them the wider range of capabilities and complementary expertise from our European food network. We can also better support European clients with business in the UK. We are excited about working with FAL team and increasing our support to our collective customers across the region".

Contact:

Christian Kleinert, Marketing Director, Intertek Food & Agri Services
Phone: +49 711 27311-449
Email: christian.kleinert@intertek.com

Dr. Kurt-Peter Raezke, Director Testing & Analytics, Intertek Food & Agri Services
Phone: +49 421 65727-200
Email: kurt-peter-raezke@intertek.com

About Intertek

Intertek is a leading global provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and 30,000 people in more than 100 countries around the world. For further information please visit www.intertek.com.