How to agree food batch contaminant testing
Agree a written batch testing brief covering the food, destination, risk-based analytes, sampling, laboratory methods and current applicable limits. Release the batch only after reviewing traceable results, coverage gaps and the agreed decision rule. A generic pass certificate is insufficient. Coordinate factory-side arrangements with Cambridge China Bridge.
Choose the panel from the food and its risks
Give the laboratory the ingredient list, crop and growing origin, harvest information, processing steps, intended use and storage history. Ask the supplier for pesticide-use records and previous failures. Have a food safety specialist explain which pesticide residues, mycotoxins, metals or processing contaminants merit testing, and record why other hazards are excluded.
Ask for the actual analyte list before accepting a broad screening package. Check whether relevant substances need separate methods, whether residue definitions include metabolites, and whether the method works in your food matrix. Agree when a changed crop source, ingredient, process or storage condition triggers a revised panel.
Write a destination-specific limits schedule
For Great Britain, HSE lists pesticide maximum residue levels in its statutory register. Ask the laboratory to match each analyte to the correct food category and residue definition. Record the official source, applicable limit, units, date checked and any relevant applicability or transition conditions in the testing brief.
For mycotoxins and other contaminants, ask the specialist to identify the current official provision for the destination and exact food category. Specify whether the product is raw, dried, processed or intended for further treatment, and how any concentration or dilution is addressed. Recheck before release. For Northern Ireland, obtain a separate destination check rather than assuming the Great Britain schedule applies.
Agree how the batch will be sampled
Define the lot by production and raw-material records before choosing samples. Mycotoxins occur in hotspots because they are unevenly distributed. Ask the laboratory to propose a representative plan for the commodity and lot, explaining its relationship to official sampling guidance. Do not accept a convenient sample taken only from accessible bags.
Write down who selects the sampling locations, collects increments, forms any aggregate sample, prepares the laboratory sample and seals retained material. Agree sample quantities with the laboratory rather than inventing them. Record the lot, locations, seals and handovers using the sample chain-of-custody guide.
Specify what the laboratory must report
Request results for every agreed analyte, with units, method, reporting or quantification limit, sample identity and any subcontracted work. Ask whether quantification is sufficiently sensitive for the applicable limit. Agree how recovery, measurement uncertainty and results close to the limit will affect the decision. A result reported as not detected is unhelpful without its reporting threshold.
Ask for evidence of laboratory competence for the particular method and food matrix. Use the laboratory accreditation guide for that check, and the report coverage guide to connect the report to the goods ordered. A pass heading cannot resolve an omitted analyte or an unidentified batch.
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Make release a documented buyer decision
Agree a hold point before shipment and name the person authorised to release the batch. Review the sampling record, full report, current limits schedule and unresolved exclusions together. Keep the evidence linked to the shipment through batch traceability records. Testing supports that decision; it does not replace the wider food safety assessment.
Agree what happens after an adverse, borderline or inconclusive result: quarantine, investigation, specialist review and any justified resampling. Do not replace an adverse report with a favourable sample and ignore the original finding. Require written approval for panel or sampling changes, and record the reason for the final release or rejection.
Frequently asked questions
Is a supplier's food test certificate enough?
Only assess it alongside the analyte list, applicable limits, sampling record and batch identity. A generic pass certificate cannot show whether your relevant hazards were tested.
Should every batch have the same contaminant tests?
Agree the panel and frequency from the food and supply risks. Review them when crop source, ingredients, processing, storage or previous results change.
Where do I check pesticide limits for Great Britain?
Use HSE's GB MRL Statutory Register. Ask the laboratory to confirm the food category and residue definition, and record the applicable entry and date checked.
Can I retest a failed food batch?
Keep the batch on hold and investigate the original result. Agree any resampling with a competent specialist, retain both reports and document the final decision.