Agri-food. Olmel takes another step in improving quality control by setting up its own central microbiology laboratory.

The activities of this new entity will be concentrated in the existing infrastructures of the Ange-Gardien plant.

In fact, facilities in this area have been automated and upgraded to PCR technologies, which will make analysis methods more efficient and increase the traceability of information. This laboratory is licensed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

A team of five specialists will work permanently in this new laboratory under the supervision of Delphine Sène, Olemel’s Director of Food Safety.

Microbiology lab analyzes will focus on the detection of major pathogens such as Listeria and Salmonella, as well as on checking the shelf life of products (the date of first drop). This initiative will reinforce the company’s commitment to the safety, security and quality of its products.

“By offering analytics and testing that was previously outsourced, Olimail gives itself the means to develop its own expertise, shorten lead times, and significantly reduce costs associated with lab analytics for the company as a whole,” says Sylvain Fornaise, Vice President, Food Safety, Technical Services, and Research and Development. in Olmel.

The Ange-Gardien laboratory will have the capacity to perform more than 100,000 tests annually.

“Our company will therefore have greater independence in validating its operations under the SQF certification that all our establishments hold and its quality assurance management will be more effective,” adds Mr. Furnez.

The Company is careful to specify that requests for analyzes and tests required by a regulatory body such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or Olmeel clients will always be outsourced to independent laboratories.