SGS UK is delighted to announce that Dr Naresh Patel has joined us, working with our scientists and commercial team to establish SGS in Cambridge as the centre of excellence for contaminants testing in the UK.
Naresh is a highly respected scientist within the UK produce industry, possessing a wealth of expertise in the field of food pesticide testing.
He has over 35 years of experience in the food laboratory testing sector and was part of the original team to launch SGS UK’s food and feed testing services at the Cambridge laboratory. Naresh is thrilled to return home to continue where he left off – but now with the support of the global SGS network.
SGS UK launched a newly accredited pesticide screen on 1st August 2023 by GC/MS/MS and LC/MS/MS with close to 700 actives. The accreditation covers a wide scope of fresh produce, cereals, dried fruits, nuts and seeds. The screen is the largest and most up to date in the UK covering key issue residues and is compatible with PRiF and EU surveillance programmes.
Our R&D department has developed a “bolt-on” additional screen to analyze a range of acid pesticides and associated metabolites. This allows SGS to offer the UK’s most comprehensive ‘pesticide superscreen’ of over 750 actives.
Investment in new ICP equipment with MS and OES detection systems has widened the scope for established heavy metals (such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic) testing. The equipment is robust, and UKAS accredited for a wide range of food and related products, including infant food and animal feed. Also, work is currently in progress to finalise the validation and accreditation of an additional range of elements and minerals.
To improve reporting times and extend the rapid reporting capability of routine pesticide testing, SGS have heavily invested in two new state-of-the-art LC/MS/MS instruments at Cambridge.
With Naresh on board, the technical team is ready to build a stronger partnership with both existing and new clients – to help devise cost-effective testing programs, assist with anomalous data and general data interpretation.
Additionally, further investment is being made in both equipment and resources to improve capacity and rapid reporting for routine mycotoxin testing and screening.
UK Managing Director, James McGurk says ‘Naresh’s arrival at SGS marks the expansion of our exceptional contaminants testing services into the UK. This will help the fresh produce and allied industries survive the current economic pressures where the cost of testing and value for money is a top priority. Work started over a year ago and we are ready to share the achievements made and deliver a unique service offering to our clients.’’
We would be delighted to understand your testing requirements so that we can continuously build on our service offering, delivering exactly what you need.
For further information contact:
Thomas Finbow-Miller
Food Account Manager
t: +44 (0)151 350 6666
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