The firm said the lab in Vizag is an opportunity to improve its footprint in South Asia with India being one of the largest exporters of seafood.
Accreditation by the International Accreditation Service (IAS) means it is approved for microbiological testing of seafood, meat and poultry, raw, cooked and ready to eat foods, drinking water and fruits to detect E. coli, Salmonella spp, enumeration of coliforms and yeast and mould count.
It will also enable wet chemical and analytical testing on seafood, milk and milk products, spices, water to identify presence of contaminants such as antibiotic and pesticide residues and heavy metals.
The accreditation validates the lab has established a quality management system that meets ISO 9001:2008 and is in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025:2005.
ISO/IEC 17025:2005 specifies general requirements for the competence to do testing including sampling. It covers testing performed using standard, non-standard and laboratory-developed methods.
Some of the inspection services will include during production (DUPRO) inspection, initial production check (IPC), final random inspection (FRI), hygiene inspection and loading supervision.
Dr Pankaj Jaiminy, assistant vice president (food, health and cosmetics), testing, certification and inspection at TÜV SÜD South Asia, said: “India is one of the largest exporters in the global seafood market and it is also one of the biggest foreign exchange earners.
“The lab will also support manufacturers that export to the US and European countries which are some of the biggest importers of Indian food and agricultural products. In such a scenario, it is imperative to empower exporters with quality checks and tests to detect contaminants that will improve the acceptability of their consignments across the world.”