Olymel will have its own central microbiology laboratory, in Ange-Gardien in Montérégie, to improve the quality control of its products.

The activities of this new laboratory will be concentrated in the existing infrastructures of the company, at its plant in Ange-Gardien, in Montérégie, where investments have already been made, the company announced Thursday morning in a press release.

The Ange-Gardien facilities have been automated and the equipment has been upgraded to PCR technologies "which will make the analysis methods even more efficient and increase the traceability of the information", assured Olymel.

The laboratory, which holds a license from the Public Health Agency of Canada, will have the capacity to carry out more than 100,000 tests per year, in particular on the detection of the main pathogens such as listeria and salmonella, as well as on the validation of product lifespans.

A team of five professionals will work full time under the supervision of Delphine Sène, Director of Food Safety at Olymel.

“By bringing analyzes and tests that were previously outsourced in-house, Olymel is giving itself the means to develop its own expertise, shorten lead times and also significantly reduce the costs associated with laboratory analyses” , explained Sylvain Fournaise, Vice-President, Food Safety, Technical Services, Research

The Canadian leader in the production, processing and distribution of pork and poultry meat, however, specified that requests for analyzes and tests required by a regulatory body such as the Canadian Inspection Agency food, or by Olymel customers "will always be entrusted to independent laboratories".

Olymel employs more than 14,000 people in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.