Olymel, a Canadian provider of pork and poultry meats, has announced the opening of its own central microbiology laboratory. Olymel invested into the existing infrastructure of its plant in Ange-Gardien, Montérégie, to house the new laboratory. The AngeGardien facilities were automated and its equipment upgraded to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, which will make analysis methods more efficient and increase information traceability. The laboratory is licensed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
A team of five professionals will work in the new central microbiology laboratory under the supervision of Delphine Sène, the Director of Food Safety at Olymel. The new laboratory’s analyses will focus on detecting primary pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, as well as confirming product shelf life.