Thermo Scientific Gallery and Gallery Plus are discrete photometric analyzers with a broad menu of industrial and environmental system applications.

The Institute for Food Safety and Health (FSH), formerly the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, which is engaged in a broad range of food-related research, provides an excellent profile of the vital tools and instrumentation required for food testing.

The food sector in the United States (US) is experiencing its biggest changes in decades. This year, Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, updating regulations first implemented in 1938. The act greatly expands the powers of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose new clout now includes food recall authority. Also in 2011, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are revised every five years, were updated to push for healthier diets overall, and especially for children.

Consumers and regulatory agencies are expressing more and more interest in the true amount of sodium contained in food products. Sodium has traditionally been indirectly tested using a silver nitrate precipitation reaction.

The requirements for sophisticated instruments and well-trained, experienced analysts in food safety laboratories are essential factors in making certain that food is safe from chemical contamination.

The role of food labs in the development of new flavours, textures and products.

Some say the world's population will swell to 9 billion people by 2030 and that will present significant challenges for agriculture to provide enough food to meet demand, says University of Idaho animal scientist Rod Hill.

The U.S. imports food from more than 150 countries and territories. Much of it is fresh produce and seafood, which can carry microscopic contaminants. While these contaminants become smaller and more sophisticated and food safety laws become stricter, food testing laboratories are coming up with new technologies and processes to detect chemical toxins before they reach the consumer.

A series of food safety crises, including melamine contamination in pet foods; E coli-tainted spinach, peppers and green onions; and a Salmonella typhimurium outbreak in peanut products have transformed food analysts from vigilant sentries into veritable centurions stridently safeguarding the quality, regulatory compliance and safety of our food.

Using DNA barcoding technology, University of Guelph researchers have found that 25 per cent of fish are mislabelled and in a majority of the cases, the fillets are sold as species of higher values.