News

Read all of the latest food fraud news, food testing analysis, food authenticity testing news and commentary from Bia Analytical.

Getting to the meat of authenticity testing

As yet another meat scandal hits the UK, the time is right to provide the industry with better ways to protect themselves and consumers by ensuring that what they sell is safe, genuine and as described on the label. 

Posted April 03 2023

How adulterators attempt to deceive laboratory analytical methods

A new BAPP paper in the Journal of Natural Products has revealed how legitimate authentication methods are swerved by fraudsters [Source: Nutraceutical Business Review]

Posted February 10 2023

Lax checks on food imports ‘puts UK at risk of BSE 2.0’

Mislabeled meat and foods laced with cheap ingredients could be entering our supply chain because safeguards to protect consumers are underfunded and inadequate, regulators and academics warn.

Posted February 07 2023

Bia Analytical Ltd. strike “Red-Gold” with the addition of a new Saffron Powder authenticity test

Saffron has a long history of economically-motivated food fraud and can be typically adulterated with substances such as beetroot, pomegranate fibres, corn silk or the saffron crocus's styles. Powdered saffron is also prone to adulteration, with crocus petals, turmeric, paprika, and flours/starches used as diluting fillers. Safflower has also been reported as a substitute/adulterant

Posted January 11 2023

What lies behind a Certificate of Analysis – how a wrong result can be right?

Do you really look at your Certificate of Analysis? Are you sure the result truly reflects the nature of the sample, just following the same old same old, or doing what someone else told you to do? Maybe it’s time to stop and think about what you are actually looking at?

Posted January 05 2023

Bia Analytical Ltd. freshens up their authenticity testing portfolio with the addition of Mint

Bia Analytical Ltd. have added Mint to their growing authenticity testing portfolio, offering a range of herbs and spice authenticity tests to help in the fight against food fraud.

Posted November 08 2022

Bia Analytical spice up their portfolio with the addition of Chilli Powder and Rosemary

Bia Analytical spice up their portfolio with the addition of Chilli Powder and Rosemary authenticity testing methods to help fight food fraud.

Posted September 27 2022

Criminals leave a bitter taste for UK cooks by targeting £17bn herbs and spices market with fakes

From mixing oregano with olive leaves to using molecular science to counterfeit precious saffron, fraud gangs are cashing in – and messing with our meals

Posted August 15 2022

Bia Analytical develops a robust authenticity test for Cinnamon and Cassia

Bia Analytical Ltd. adds Cinnamon to their growing authenticity testing portfolio, offering a range of herbs and spice authenticity tests to help in the fight against food fraud.

Posted June 27 2022

Bia Analytical adds Basil and Fennel Seeds to their growing authenticity testing portfolio

Bia Analytical Ltd. increases their authenticity testing portfolio to include Basil and Fennel Seeds, enhancing their expanding range of herbs and spice authenticity tests to help fight food fraud.

Posted May 03 2022

Bia Analytical adds Parsley to their growing testing portfolio

Bia Analytical Ltd. have added Parsley to their growing authenticity testing portfolio, offering a range of herbs and spice authenticity tests to help in the fight against food fraud.

Posted March 22 2022

Thyme is of the essence for Bia Analytical

Bia Analytical Ltd. have added Thyme to our expanding authenticity testing portfolio. Building upon a successful year of product launches, we now offer a range of herbs and spice authenticity tests to help in the fight against food fraud.

Posted February 22 2022

Bia Analytical Addresses Herb & Spice Authenticity

The Joint Research Council (JRC) recently released their technical report highlighting the results of an EU wide survey to establish the prevalence of fraudulent practices in the marketing of herbs and spices. The report focuses on black pepper, curcuma, cumin, oregano, paprika/chilli and saffron and concludes that overall, 17% (323 of 1885 samples) of tested samples were suspicious.

Posted November 30 2021

Bia Analytical reach regional finals for Investor readiness Competition

We are delighted to announce that Bia Analytical has been named as a regional finalist for InterTradeIreland’s Seedcorn Investor readiness Competition 2021.

Posted September 30 2021

Bia Analytical adds Coriander to make it 10

Bia Analytical Ltd. now adds Coriander to their rapidly expanding authenticity testing portfolio. Building upon a successful year of product launches, the company now offers a range of 10 herbs and spice authenticity tests to help in the fight against food fraud.

Posted September 07 2021

Bia Analytical introduces White Pepper to their expanding range of authenticity tests.

Belfast, Northern Ireland based Bia Analytical Ltd. adds White Pepper to their rapidly expanding portfolio of authenticitytesting. The company now offers a range of 9 herbs and spice authenticity tests to help in the fight against food fraud.

Posted August 17 2021

Bia Analytical now offers rapid authenticity testing for garlic, cumin and ginger

Building upon their recent launch of paprika and turmeric authenticity tests, Belfast, Northern Ireland based Bia Analytical Ltd. now offers an additional three new tests for garlic, cumin and ginger authenticity. This extends the start-up companies offering to 8 tests and the team are working to extend their product portfolio to twenty-five models by the end of 2021.

Posted May 18 2021

Denis Lynn, founder and chairman of Finnebrogue Artisan has sadly passed away

The board, fellow investors and staff at Bia Analytical are sad to hear the news that Co Down businessman Denis Lynn has tragically passed away following an accident at his home on the Finnebrogue estate on Sunday evening.

Posted May 04 2021

Bia Analytical adds Paprika to their authenticity testing portfolio

Belfast, Northern Ireland based Bia Analytical Ltd has developed a rapid and robust screening technique to detect economically motivated adulteration in paprika using our innovative and leading laboratory-based food authenticity testing services.

Posted April 13 2021

Open for business! Bia Analytical Ltd launches authenticity testing methods for two new spices

Belfast, Northern Ireland based Bia Analytical Ltd has expanded its laboratory-based food authenticity testing services with two additional spices, black pepper and turmeric. The company now offers rapid authenticity testing for four herbs and spices – oregano, sage, black pepper and turmeric. In addition, the company will also start providing bespoke model development services for customers with specific authenticity testing needs.

Posted January 19 2021

Out of the (black) box thinking

The majority of scientific testing for food safety and food authenticity purposes in feeds and foods requires samples to be collected from various points in the supply chain and dispatched to laboratories. This is how it has been done for a long time, but there is a growing need and demand from industry to move to more on-site testing.

Posted November 12 2020

McCormick responds to Queen’s University Belfast sage findings

McCormick’s VP welcomes investigation into sage fraud and celebrates its own clean results whilst reminding consumers that not all sage is equal.

Posted October 30 2020

Does your spice rack now contain fake Sage?

Following on from the concerning report published by Which in July 2015 that focused on the likelihood of adulterated oregano appearing in the spice racks of UK consumers, a follow-on study has now been undertaken that highlights similar concerns linked to Sage.

Posted October 28 2020

Bia Analytical raises £570,000 seed funding in fight to stop food fraud

Belfast food testing specialist Cibus Analytical (now t/a Bia Analytical) has completed a £570,000 seed funding round which it will use to help tackle food contamination and adulteration at a time when fraud is costing the UK food and drink industry £12 billion a year.

Posted August 19 2020

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