Eurofins Responds to Call for Greater Food Safety in Asia

GALTEN, DenmarkIn response to a white paper released by the Global Food Safety Forum, Eurofins released a statement highlighting its presence in Asia and its ability to help respond to calls for greater food safety in the region.

The white paper, The China Path to Global Food Safety," recommends that China and other Asian countries utilize more third-party testing and certification to enforce higher food safety levels in Asia.

Commenting on the watchdogs conclusions, Dr. Matthias-Wilbur Weber, Eurofins Executive Vice President for Asia Pacific said:  The growing need for food safety testing in Asia is relevant not only for Western-bound food products produced in the region, but also those for local consumption. Whilst our laboratories have been built to meet Western standards and accreditation, 95% of our staff come from Asia, and are therefore in-tune with local industry trends and regulations. Eurofins is excited to be part of a growing market and to work with the local industry".

Eurofins has 5 sites/laboratories in China and Hong Kong, as well as facilities in India and Japan. According to the company, it has long been a partner of global food producers and manufacturers in Europe and the U.S. who source both raw materials and finished food products from Asia. Eurofins says it has the capability to process high volumes of samples, and has a wide portfolio of analytical methods (over 100,000) and accreditations across its global network of laboratories.

In one of its food testing laboratories in China alone, Eurofins is capable of handling up to 500 samples per day. The standards in the Asian laboratories are entirely identical to those in the companys more mature markets (e.g. ISO 17025 accredited), ensuring consistent quality of services across its 150 laboratories worldwide. Eurofins Asia Pacific leverages the Groups global capabilities to offer unique services to its customers in the region, including testing and sampling according to international standards. The Asian laboratories are also able to provide clients with qualified opinion of their test results based on US or European requirements, and multilingual test reports according to their needs.  

Eurofins commitment to the region was also evident in its rapid response to the recent Fukushima tragedy in Japan, setting up the first high throughput facility for Radioactive Material Analysis (RMA) by a global laboratory network shortly after the incident.