Campden BRI Granted STEC Certification
Campden BRI’s Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) testing system has been certified to the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard by UKAS. The PCR method is suggested to be sensitive enough to pick up on 2-40 colony forming units per 25g of sample and is completely specific for STEC giving absolute confidence in the outcome.
Foods at particular risk of STEC contamination include raw meat, according to Campden BRI, especially raw ground beef, and seeds intended for sprouting. EU legislation requires the analysis of sprouted seeds for six STEC serotypes (O157, O145, O111, O103, O26 and O104:H4) prior to release onto the market.
Campden BRI says it is one of very few facilities in the UK to have the category three laboratories required for STEC testing, which requires an enhanced level of containment because STEC are highly pathogenic. Campden BRI developed, optimised and validated the method as part of its £2 million annual research programme.
Campden BRI has a total of 114 UKAS accredited methods.
Campden BRI provides science and technology for the food and drink industry. The company has over 2,400 member businesses in more than 75 countries.
