GLOBAL SERVICES

We at Equinox Labs carry out tests on Food, Water,Hygiene and Air to help solve problems of our clients. Over the years it has diversified into many different streams of Testing and Consultancy.

EQUINOX Labs is an ISO 9001:2008 Certified state-of-the-art Laboratory for carrying out various tests in food, water, hygiene, air & environment. We are the leaders in India and have 30 years experience in testing.

 

 

The Services below are offered World-Wide

Food Testing:

1) Nutritional Labeling

2) Shelf Life Studies

3) Sensory Evaluation

4) Food Quality Monitoring

Food Safety:

1) Food Safety Management System (FSMS) Plan

2) Corporate Policy

Food Safety Partners in India:

1) Food Safety Law (FSSAI) – GAP Audit

2) Hygiene Inspection

3) Hygiene Audits

4) Pre-dispatch Inspection and Analysis

Air Testing:

1) Air Corrosion Monitoring

2) Sick Building Syndrome Survey

Training – Food Handlers:

1) Level 1 – Basic Hygiene and Food Safety Training

2) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Training

Training – Quality Executives

1) Level 2 – Advanced Food Safety

2) Level 3 – Internal Auditor Training

3) Level 4 – Train The Trainer Program

4) Level 5 – Skilled Trainer

 

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FOOD TESTING

NUTRITIONAL LABELING

Nutritional labeling is the information that is found on the labels of prepackaged foods. A nutritional label includes the following information:

• The Nutrition Facts Table (gives information about calories, 13 core nutrients and % daily value of nutrients)
• The ingredients List
• Some optional nutrition claims

The educated consumers understand their right to information and prefer to be informed about what they are going to eat. Thus, a well designed nutritional label apart from meeting the government mandates can also act as a tool to satisfy the consumers quest for information.

Equinox Labs can help you to find out the Nutritional parameters of your Product.

1)     Nutritional Labeling (Essential) – In this Nutritional Labeling Equinox Labs find out the essential attributes which need to be mentioned on all foods sold as per the Indian government nutritional labeling act, such as Energy, Proteins, Fats, Carbohydrates and Sugar.

2)     Nutritional Labeling (Extended) – Equinox Labs can also do an extended study of your food to find out other attributes like Cholesterol, Dietary Fiber etc.

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SHELF LIFE STUDIES

A shelf life study helps in determining how long a product can be expected to be kept and used, without an appreciable change in quality and safety. The deterioration of food products is an ongoing process that often begins before they are packaged.

Factors affecting Shelf life of the product

• Use of preservatives or preservatives measurements.
• Packaging material.
• Light exposure.
• Ingredients.
• Storage process.

These factors are very important to know how long your product can be stored before it becomes unsafe to consume. Being informed about the shelf life of your product will help in maintaining the quality and safety of your goods and thus avoid loss of customers of your product.

Equinox labs Shelf Life Analysis Methods

1) Accelerated shelf life assessment.

2) Predictive shelf life assessment.

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SENSORY EVALUATION

• Do you have a new Product which tastes better than an existing product in the market?
• Do you want to introduce a new variation, but don’t know which one to choose?
• Do you want to know what makes your competitors product better than yours?

If you have answered YES to any of the above questions, you need to do Sensory Evaluation.

What is Sensory Evaluation?

Sensory evaluation is the description and evaluation of food products using the human senses. It is an analytical method in which the human senses serve as a measurement tool to determine the quality and/ or to describe the condition of a food product.

Sensory evaluation is a scientific discipline that applies principles of experimental design and statistical analysis through the use of human senses like sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing for the purpose of evaluating consumer food or beverage products.

Here in Equinox Labs we have specialized Panelists who are qualified Food Technologist and are presently working in different fields related to food.

In Sensory Evaluation what is to be tested and scientifically evaluated is precisely defined. It is a science and it precisely defines and measures senses and feelings.

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FOOD QUALITY MONITORING

“We are what we eat”

Food plays a very vital role in maintaining proper health. Good nutritious food helps in being healthy, but at the same time bad or unhealthy food gives rise to several diseases. Nutritional Value, Calorific Value and Taste are not the only aspects of food that one should be concerned about. Safety of Food and Contamination of Food are also very important aspects of Food.

The food that one eats can get contaminated during production, transportation, storage and processing. Also if food is grown on soils which are highly contaminated with heavy metals, there are high chances of it being toxic. Ready to eat/use packed food products  may be adulterated as well.

Therefore the food one eats must be regularly tested and examined for the following:

1. Presence of adulteration in food supplies

2. Presence of pathogenic infectious microorganisms

3. Presence of pesticides or pesticide residues

4. Presence of toxic ions and heavy metal

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FOOD SAFETY

FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (FSMS) PLAN

One of the pre-requisites of the process of Registration or Licensing by Food Safety and Standards Act is the development of a proper Food Safety Management System Plan (FSMS Plan).

What is a FSMS Plan:

Food Safety Management System Plan (FSMS Plan) is document that records the entire list of activities that a Food manufacturer, or a Food Handler or a Reseller of Food follows to ensure that the food is safe.

All the Food Manufacturing Units, Food Handling Units and Food Selling Units need to develop FSMS Plans that is customized for themselves, as every site is unique and each of them face their own set of challenges.

The following should be the broad areas that should be covered and addressed in a Good FSMS Plan:

1. Procurement of raw material
2. Storage of raw material
3. Preparation of raw material
4. Cooking / Processing
5. Storage of cooked food
6. Preparation of cooked food before serving
7. Serving of cooked food
8. Sale or display of food
9. Storage of surplus food
10. Quality of water & ice
11. Utensils & equipments
12. Cleaning & hygiene of establishment
13. Cleaning & hygiene of surrounding area/environment
14. Lighting facility
15. Garbage disposal facility
16. Pest Control
17. Facilities for personal hygiene
18. Personnel hygiene
19. General Requirements

Equinox Labs, being an expert in Food Safety, is actively involved in development of FSMS Plans for all its Clients. The FSMS Plans made by Equinox Labs also guide the Clients in maintenance of Food Safety and Hygiene on a regular basis, and help them to protect themselves from being penalized by the Food Safety Authorities.

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CORPORATE POLICY

1. Corporate Policy is an essential component to ensure Food Safety across all Locations of an Organisation.
2. The Policy covers the Process of Recruiting  Suppliers, establishing control over Critical Quality Processes and laying down guidelines or Internal Auditing.
3. The Policy will enable Uniformity by setting common standards and guidelines.

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FOOD SAFETY PARTNERS IN INDIA

FOOD SAFETY LAW (FSSAI) – GAP AUDIT

Food Safety and Standards Act was passed in 2006, and has been implemented on 5th August, 2011. Under the Act, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the sole body responsible for Food Safety inIndia.

The new Food Safety Law takes the following under its purview:

• Hotels,
• Restaurants,
• Packaged Food Manufacturers,
• Food Sellers and Re-sellers,
• Canteens in Corporate Companies, Schools, Colleges, Hospitals, Government Institutions,
• Food Importers and Exporters,
• Raw Material Suppliers, and
• All who are related to Food Business

As per the Law, any entity involved in mass manufacturing of food needs to get either Registered or Licensed by FSSAI or FDA. The Caterers supplying to the Corporate Canteens and the Corporate Canteens that are cooking their own food are no exception to the Law.

The GAP Audit

The Gap Audit conducted by Equinox Labs focuses on understanding of the present levels of compliance.

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HYGIENE INSPECTION

• Kitchen Inspection by Hygiene Auditor.

• Inspection of Food Preparation & Handling

Procedures.

• Identification of Good / Bad Practices.

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HYGIENE AUDITS

• Testing – Food, Water, Surface Swabs.

• Kitchen / Canteen Inspection by trained Hygiene

Auditor.

• Inspection of the Food Preparation & Handling

Processes.

• Identification of Good / Bad Practices of Food

Handling.

• On the Spot Training for Food Handlers.

• Recommendations and Solutions for Solving

Problems.

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PRE-DISPATCH INSPECTION AND ANALYSIS

• Detailed inspection of products.

• Offers the certainty that the goods are in

conformity to required specifications.

• The inspection & analysis are carried out by a

team of qualified and experienced assessors.

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AIR TESTING

AIR COROSSION MONITORING

Corrosion is the destructive attack of a material by reaction with its environment.

While you cannot “monitor a corrosion problem away”, you can use corrosion monitoring to better understand such problems and implement effective solutions.

SECTORS WHICH ARE AT A RISK OF AIR CORROSION:

• Data Centers’
• IT Companies & IT enabled services
• BPOs’ / KPOs’
• Telecom Companies
• News & Media
• Semi-conductors
• Distributed Control System (DCS)
• Motor Control Centers and Switch Rooms of Petrochemical units, Chemical, Fertilizers, Paper & Pulp, Refinery, Distillery, Brewery, Thermal and Nuclear Plants etc.

CAUSES OF AIR CORROSION:

Contaminants, both internal and external are responsible for causing problems related to Corrosion in the critical IT equipment, leading to huge losses in the IT enabled industry. These gases seep into data processing facilities and corrode critical electronic equipment, resulting in malfunction and breakdown of servers, computers, telecom systems, ACs, control panels etc.

WHEN SHOULD THE MONITORING BE DONE?

The following has been identified as the best practices for Indoor Air Quality Analysis and Air Corrosion Monitoring:

• Before selection of site for setting up Data Centre,

• After construction of the building structure,

• After Setting up of the Data Centre Infrastructure, prior to commissioning

• Post commissioning, once every quarter, since Air quality changes along with season.

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SICK BUILDING SYNDROME SURVEY

•The building and the air inside it,can

cause people to fall ill.

• SBS Survey is a cost effective way to find

out whether your location is affected by

Sick Building Syndrome.

• SBS Survey can be carried out via a

Secure Online Form, and results will be

confidential and shared with the

concerned person.

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TRAINING – FOOD HANDLERS

Equinox Labs offers the following trainings:

LEVEL 1 – BASIC HYGIENE AND FOOD SAFETY TRAINING

How these trainings will help you?

1. You can ensure that all your customers get safe and hygienic food.

2. You can understand how food is contaminated.

3. How contamination can be prevented?

4. How cross contamination occurs and how it can be prevented?