Press Releases

Scientific Analysis Laboratories (SAL) Ltd

SAL have been established for over 20 years and are internationally recognised for Dioxin testing and a range of other contaminants associated with food, feed, land and air monitoring. The business currently has five laboratories spread throughout the UK. Headquarters are in Manchester which is complimented by sites in Glasgow, Essex, Cambridge and Northern Ireland.

A dedicated laboratory for pesticide residue testing was developed in Cambridge in 2003 and received ISO 17025 accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) in 2004. The dedicated team have developed the laboratory which is now considered a leading laboratory for pesticide residue testing in the UK.

With over 25 full time staff, the success of this laboratory provides its clients with a tailored service. The key elements that give recognition to SAL pesticide testing services are:

Reliability – standard turnaround time is 5 working days with the ability to carry out rapid testing from 3 working day to the same day the sample is received at the laboratory.

Precision – SAL have invested heavily in modern equipment and the laboratories are furnished with multiple GC/MS and LC/MS/MS instrumentation – majority of the testing is carried out to 0.01mg/kg.

Knowledge – providing information and guidance on testing and interrogation of pesticide usage records identifying the chemicals of risk and ensures the testing programme is comprehensive. We update clients on issues relating to the fresh produce industry which include changes in legislation. This specialist knowledge of the fresh produce industry gives SAL a leading position in this area.

Price – the special focus on pesticides has led to large throughput of samples with maximum efficiency enabling us to offer competitive prices and value for money.

The current pesticide screen covers in excess of 450 actives including those that are used in modern day crop protection and includes those monitored by the EU in surveillance programmes. In addition to the pesticide screening, we can offer a wide range of target chemicals relevant to the produce industry which include Morpholine, Dithianon, Maleic Hydrazide, Dithiocarbamates and Ethephon. Our on-going research and development progamme continues to investigate new actives.
We will work with you personally and design the most appropriate testing programme for your products. Our data management system will ensure information is effectively managed, enabling you to carry out searches and trends very easily – all of this comes as part of the service.

General Food Microbiology
SAL has developed new, state of the art laboratories providing microbiology and nutritional testing service for the food industry.

The new 1,300m2 testing facility was officially opened in April 2011 and is connected to the existing pesticide laboratory to create a dedicated 2,000m2 food testing facility.

SAL's microbiology laboratory has been designed to accommodate high sample throughput with attention to detail, efficiency and safety.

A unique feature of the new laboratory is the one way sample flow which ensures cross contamination during sample processing is eliminated – a design which has been commented and commended by a leading microbiologist.

The microbiology laboratory is UKAS accredited with scope to cover all routine micro-organisms and pathogens.

Consultancy - A key component of the service is the technical consultancy provided – allowing clients full risk assessment of initial products and interpretation of final results against existing protocols and standards.

The laboratory is managed by a microbiologist with over 15 years experience in food microbiology testing and extensive knowledge of the food industry. This technical knowledge of the food industry is complimented by a dedicated Business Development Manager with a strong background in microbiological issues affecting the wider food industry.

Analytical services focus on the requirements of its clients to ensure protocols are adjusted to suit the diverse range of products tested, taking into consideration sample type, leading to accurate measurement and reporting of final results.

ELISA Technology - Investment in the new RayAl ELISA system enables presumptive determination of Salmonella and Listeria within 48 hours; this offers a reduction of 24hours on traditional methods. The method used is reliable, accurate and fully UKAS accredited.

Market Leading Data Management System - To follow effective management of analytical data, SAL has modified its LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) to enable clients to access and manage their analytical data on-line. The LIMS system gives clients the flexibility to register samples directly prior to dispatch alleviating any transcription errors.

Clients are able to review data once entered onto the system. Out of specification data is highlighted which attracts immediate attention for cause for concern results. The search and trend analysis options enable straightforward management of data and expenditure.

The system is easy to use and is offered to clients irrespective of numbers of samples tested.

Nutritional Chemistry
The Food Chemistry laboratory is equipped with state of the art analytical instrumentation, enabling fast efficient and accurate generation of nutritional labelling data.

The laboratory is UKAS accredited for Group I and Group II nutritional labelling data and other parameters such as added water in meat and meat content. The extensive list of tests can be seen on the attached UKAS schedule.

Service - SAL's excellent levels of customer service and support which have been developed by its market leading pesticide facility are replicated throughout the new Nutritional Chemistry and Microbiology Laboratories.

Client liaison and efficient turnaround times for basic nutritional labelling testing underpin SAL's high quality testing services. Standard turnaround times for Group I and Group II testing is 5 working days – however faster turnaround is available if required.

Investment in staff training ensures all data is checked to the highest level before delivery to the client – SAL food testing provides high quality, customer focused service.

Analytical services are fully supported by technical guidance and assistance with the interpretation of data ensuring total customer satisfaction.