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Food & Drink Analysis

food and drink testingThe public are protected from unsafe food and unscrupulous food traders by enforcement of the Food Safety Act. Our two laboratories test numerous samples on a daily basis to keep dangerous and poorly described products away from the consumer.

The Food Safety Act requires that all food authorities must appoint a Public Analyst to carry out the authority’s food testing.  European Law requires that testing of official samples is undertaken in an Official Food Control Laboratory.

Leicestershire and Staffordshire Scientific Services has two Official Food Control Laboratories that provide Public Analyst Services. Our qualified chemists and microbiologists possess a wealth of experience and expertise and we take part in various proficiency schemes including the Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS).

Protecting The Public, Providing Scientific Information

Food Analysis

The links between the nutritional content of food and its effect on health are well known.  Leicestershire and Staffordshire Scientific Services tests food to provide the information that enforcers, legislators, food manufacturers and retailers need to determine if food is safe and accurately described.   We can provide full nutritional analysis for protein, fat, carbohydrate and energy.  This includes anything from a single ingredient to full meals with many components. The hundreds of tests we offer include fat analysis, sugars, salt, fibre, caffeine, gluten content and cocoa solids.  Recent projects have included testing the nutritional content of takeaway meals and of kebabs. The information is then fed back to public through the work of agencies such as the Food Standards Agency.

To view upcoming COLLABORATIVE SURVEYS please follow the link.

We Ensure Food Is Safe To Eat

We ensure that food is fit for human consumption, accurately described, free from harmful colourants, toxins, heavy metals, undesirable substances and of is the quality demanded by the consumer (see the summary of the Food Safety Act below). Food that contains allergens such as peanut and almond residues, shellfish and seafoods must be labelled as such to protect the health of those people who are allergic (sometimes dangerously so) to those ingredients.

We can check that food is free from spoilage including rancidity, protein breakdown, bacterial growth and fermentation. We can check that containers and wrappings are suitable for their purpose and do not transfer poisonous constituents to the food.

 

1990 Food Safety Act

The fundamentals of the 1990 Food Safety Act set in place a number of requirements for food consumed by humans;

  1. It must be of the nature, substance and quality demanded by the purchaser
  2. It must be fit for human consumption
  3. It must not be injurious to health
  4. It must not be contaminated, and
  5. It must not be falsely described, advertised or presented

We Provide Information for Consumer Food Complaints

We investigate consumer food complaints and provide expert witness reports where legal action is proposed.  We can identify foreign bodies and suggest their possible origin, identify moulds and assess the duration of growth, identify contaminants and chemical taints, confirm insect or rodent infestation and identify damage.

We Work with Trading Standards

Trading Standards will submit samples to us for general monitoring or to query whether nutritional and compositional claims on the packaging are correct and that standards set by law are being met. We can advise on sampling procedures and provide guidance for sampling programmes.


Food Production Monitoring

We work with a number of food manufacturers, running tests on samples, to help them to ensure that their food production processes are operating as they should be.

Test New Products

We can provide full nutritional analysis for new products as well as advice on statutory labelling requirements.

Test Imported Goods

Food manufactured outside of the UK must also comply with UK and EU legislation.

Analyse Drink

We analyse alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. We can check, for example, if water has been added to milk or other beverages, whether colourings exceed legal limits, measure the level of alcohol content and identify whether spirits are the brands they claim to be or a cheaper substitute.

 

Our Credentials

Leicestershire and Staffordshire Scientific Services is an efficient and reliable scientific service offering testing and analysis, advice and support to customers in the public and private sector.

We have four Public Analysts, thirty-five well-qualified, experienced staff and two laboratories, based in Leicester and Stafford, accredited to UKAS Quality Standard ISO/IEC 17025 which are both Official Food Enforcement Laboratories

View UKAS accreditation schedule for Leicestershire for Staffordshire.

Getting In Touch

Staffordshire Scientific Services
14 Martin Street
Stafford ST16 2LG

T: 01785 277 825 F: 01785 277 812Email: county.analysts@staffordshire.gov.uk

Staffordshire County Council website