Where required, a sample collection service with temperature controlled transport is available. Where foods are being brought in from outside the EU, local enforcement authorities in the UK can ask for the analytical evidence of wholesomeness and then look for continuing monitoring of successive batches of imports. If a consignment is stopped at the port of entry to the UK, in the worst case, the authorities have the power to order its destruction or its return to the country of origin. For complex foods, analysis is the most reliable method of generating nutritional information - and this service is provided by Voelcker Science. The firm's certificates show data set out exactly as required by the Food Labelling Regulations 1996.
Analysis is used to determine meat contents and can lead to estimation of added water.
Other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals or beneficial fatty acids are also determined. Adulteration of food nowadays rarely results in health hazards - however substitution of expensive ingredients by cheaper ones is often encountered and can be detected by analysis. The firm also works with suppliers of natural products such as fruit materials or spices to confirm that the materials comply with specifications. Regular analyses can be used as evidence that reasonable care has been taken in verifying the quality of food or ingredients being handled - this can then contribute to a 'due diligence' defence, as defined in the Food Safety Act 1990. Voelcker Science Food Chemistry works on all of these aspects of food quality monitoring, thus complementing our microbiological services.