Within the last few weeks we have begun moving our laboratory operations into our brand new 30,000 ft. facility. This marks another chapter in the remarkable story of Q Laboratories. Those of you who have been clients for a long time have been part of the evolution of the company from a small regional laboratory

For producers of spices and seasonings, preventing microbial contamination can pose a complex problem. The American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) makes available multiple resources on their website to help firms keep these low-moisture commodities free from pathogens and other bacteria. Three beneficial publications are, the “Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Guide for Spices (2015),” the “HACCP

Effective on January 15, 2019, the Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) Act and Regulations are now the primary food law in Canada. The Canadian Parliament passed the SFC Act in 2012, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) published the final version of the regulations on June 18, 2018, setting the stage for January 2019

Data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 1998 and 2008 indicated that produce (raw vegetables, leafy greens, fruit) caused up to 46% of all foodborne illnesses reported in the U. S. each year. The FDA attempted to address this problem by creating the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) as part of

When President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law in 2011, it gave the FDA, for the first time, the power to order a recall of a food product determined to potentially present a danger to the public. Prior to FSMA, the FDA could only recommend that a manufacturer perform a voluntary

I came across two articles recently that reminded me how complex the science of microbiology remains, and how this complexity continues to present challenges for the food safety industry. The first article was oddly enough entitled, “E. coli is good for you?” and reported on a University of Colorado at Boulder study, appearing in the

Within the last few weeks we have begun moving our laboratory operations into our brand new 30,000 ft. facility. This marks another chapter in the remarkable story of Q Laboratories. Those of you who have been clients for a long time have been part of the evolution of the company from a small regional laboratory

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) enacted in 2011 empowered the FDA to order mandatory recalls of food products determined to be potentially harmful to humans or pets due to adulteration such as pathogen contamination, or presence of allergens not indicated on the label. Before implementation of FSMA, the FDA could strongly suggest that a

Anyone manufacturing food products in Canada or importing to and/or exporting food products from Canada will have to deal with sweeping new regulations with the final publication of the new Safe Food for Canadians Regulations instituted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Considered the most significant change in food safety law in Canadian history,

Archaeologists and scholars trace the origin of the “Spice Trade” to as early as 3000 B.C. in the ancient port city of Muzris, located in Kerala on India’s Malabar coast. Merchants often referred to Kerala as the “Spice Garden of India,” and sought ways to acquire these coveted spices.  As early as the 1st Century, Greek