With this new centre of excellence laboratory, Intertek further expands its existing food services in the region which now include auditing, certification, inspection and a wide range of testing scope for the food, feed and packaging industries.
Intertek's food laboratory in Alasehir conducts pesticide residue analysis on fresh fruits and vegetables for more than 300 different active substances and provides support to the Turkish food industry which includes growers, exporters, and certification bodies for organic food and GAP (Good Agricultural Practice).
Intertek's new Istanbul food laboratory has been authorized by the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Breeding as of June 27, 2011, to operate as an official control laboratory and as a private laboratory for imported/exported food and feed control services in Turkey, according to Turkish Food Law and Food Codex and International Standards respectively.
With Turkey being a major exporter of fresh, dried and dehydrated fruit and vegetables, cereal, confectionary goods, as well as having a growing domestic population and expanding internal market for food quality and safety, Intertek can now provide a full range of analytical services related to key areas of food safety and composition testing. This includes microbiology (both classical and quick tests), mycotoxins, minerals and heavy metals, GMO testing, food contact material testing (global migration and specific migration tests) as well as routine tests (chemical and physical tests, fatty acids, sugar profile, food and feed additives etc.).
"Culturally and geographically Turkey is an important crossing point between Europe and the Middle East. This excellent new facility not only complements our existing capabilities in the rapidly growing domestic market but also marks an important step in the development of our expanding laboratory network in this region." said Chetan Parmar, Vice President of Intertek Food & Agri Services.
Murat Akcay, Food & Agri Director Europe and Middle East for Intertek Food & Agri Services, adds: "These facilities will allows us to increase our support to the producers and developers of food on the very fast growing food market in Turkey and offer them the wider range of capabilities and complementary expertise from our European food network. This support will help the industry to increase the quality of their products in both the domestic and the international markets. We are excited to offer another valuable service within Turkey helping provide greater support to our customers across the region."