Food controls protect us all

Federal Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz learned first-hand about new methods in food safety control during a visit to the high-tech company Analytica Alimentaria in Brandenburg. During the visit, Federal Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz commented: "We must better protect citizens from harmful residues in food". To achieve this, he said that food safety companies that have been combining know-how with future-proof technology for many years should be promoted. "The food analysis laboratory of ANALYTICA ALIMENTARIA in Kleinmachnow is a good example of a successful family-owned company that is keeping up with innovations in the globalised world market. This also strengthens the region's economy and creates good jobs," said Scholz. Analytica Alimentaria is a medium-sized company located in Kleinmachnow, near Berlin, with a branch in Almeria, Spain. The company is considered a European leader in the field of food analysis of fruit and vegetables for contaminants, pesticides and pathogens. Preventive controls for effective consumer protection"Our approach is to analyse products at an early stage, so that measures can still be taken before the food reaches the market. In other words, effective consumer protection requires preventive controls before the point of sale," stresses Udo Lampe, one of the founders and managing director of Analytica Alimentaria. This is why the company systematically resorts to on-site inspections. Analytica Alimentaria employees work in agricultural fields all over the world where fruit and vegetables are grown. "This is where problems such as overexposure to pesticides or pathogens often arise. At these critical points, we take fruit and vegetables by means of an accredited process, which we then examine in our laboratories," explains Lampe. Promoting biodiversity with knowledge transfer and practical pilot projectsThanks to its presence on site, the company is in close contact with the farmers who grow fruit and vegetables. In order to develop practical solutions to current challenges, knowledge transfer and professional exchange in the field are very important, he says. "With our interdisciplinary team, we also support our farmers as advisors. In pilot projects, we jointly develop alternative strategies to dispense with hazardous pesticides and replace them with more environmentally friendly methods," says Udo Lampe.