We are your accredited* partner for food safety

Food safety is an extremely complex and diverse area of responsibility. It ranges from the production of food to food contact materials and correct labelling on packaging. If you want to make foodstuffs marketable in Austria or for export, you must comply precisely with a large number of legal regulations. For example, the extensive and very strict Food Safety and Consumer Protection Act (LMSVG). We can support you in this demanding task at the highest professional level.

With proven expertise, our food safety business area offers the following advantages in many areas of the food industry, food retail, catering, canteens and other communal catering:

• accredited* testing centre in accordance with EN 17025
• accredited* inspection body in accordance with EN 17020
• modern, state-of-the-art equipment for all areas of food testing
• highly qualified food assessors and food assessors
• Individual, holistic and preventative advice
• Certificates of conformity quickly and easily

*The conformity assessment bodies are accredited by Accreditation Austria (Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy) for the areas listed and published in the notification in accordance with Annex 1 of the applicable General Terms and Conditions(www.ages.at).

After reviewing your individual enquiry, we will be happy to provide you with a customised offer. If you have any questions about our services, please do not hesitate to contact us at anfragen@ages.at or via our AGES contact form on the website.

Please note that the analysis of individual samples is not possible under certain circumstances.

Testing the labelling of foodstuffs

As part of food labelling testing, we clarify compliance with food labelling regulations and the correct labelling of your products. We carry out a thorough assessment and issue you with a test report and expert opinion.

Our services

Our experienced and independent experts check the labelling of your foodstuffs in accordance with EU Regulation No. 1169/2011 with regard to the mandatory information on correct formal aspects, product group-specific regulations (mandatory indications of origin, horizontal aspects such as frozen food regulations, pre-packaging regulations, storage conditions, etc.) and simple claims (lactose-free, gluten-free, wheat-free, etc.). In a comprehensive examination, extended claims and advertising statements (nutritional claims, health claims, "free from" claims, designations of origin, protection against deception, VEGAN society, etc.) are assessed for their correctness in accordance with the EU Health Claims Regulation (EC Regulation No. 1924/2006). Finally, you will receive an AGES test report with an expert opinion.

We can cover the following areas as part of our fee-based food labelling test:

• Checking the mandatory information
• Comprehensive labelling review of claims and advertising statements
• Submission of samples or simple submission of labels or label/packaging designs
• Suggestions for improvement with the possibility of adaptation and discussion
• AGES test report with expert opinion

Assessment of the marketability of foodstuffs

As part of the marketability test, we clarify your exact requirements in a detailed consultation. Based on this, we draw up a marketability report and confirm that your food is fit for human consumption.

What we offer

The Food Safety and Consumer Protection Act (LMSVG) obliges food companies to only place marketable goods on the market. Our experts will advise you on the required scope of analysis prior to the marketability test. We offer testing of all necessary chemical and microbiological parameters and evaluate the tests carried out. On request or in the case of open goods, the labelling test can be omitted. After a positive result, you will receive a marketability certificate.

We can cover the following areas as part of a marketability test for a fee:

• Product-related advice on analytics
• Carrying out high quality analyses
• Evaluation of the analyses carried out
• Expert opinion
• AGES test report with expert opinion

As assistance with food law issues

We carry out analyses on specific issues at the customer's request. We also offer analyses of individual parameters, methods or method groups, such as "pesticides" or "hygiene". Analysis results are evaluated in accordance with the legal requirements (limit values, guideline values, etc.) and you receive an AGES test report with an expert opinion in line with the commissioned test order.

Our offer

The Food Safety and Consumer Protection Act (LMSVG) obliges food companies to only place faultless goods on the market. In order to ensure this even during ongoing production, appropriate tests are often necessary, whereby often only individual parameters, methods or method groups, such as "pesticides" or "hygiene" may be required. We offer testing of all necessary chemical and microbiological parameters and evaluate the analysis results for you in accordance with the legal requirements (limit values, guideline values, etc.).

We can cover the following areas as part of a limited analysis with an expert opinion from AGES:

• Clarification of the possible/necessary scope of testing in a detailed consultation
• Carrying out high quality examinations
• Evaluation of the examinations carried out
• Assessment
• AGES test report with expert opinion

Examination and assessment for the issue of export certificates

Before issuing export certificates, we clarify your exact requirements in a detailed consultation. Based on this, we prepare an expert opinion on food law, which you can submit to the Federal Office of Consumer Health for the issue of an export certificate (health certificate).

Our offer

To export your goods, you need a relevant expert opinion that must fulfil fixed requirements and can be issued by us. Our experienced experts will analyse your goods (e.g. for health suitability) or check existing documents. After a positive result, you will receive a customised certificate that meets the requirements of the country of destination of your products. If you require an official certificate, you can submit this report to the Federal Office of Consumer Health.

We can cover the following areas as part of an export inspection:

• Product-related advice on analysis and/or document review
• Analysing the sample including issuing a corresponding test report
• Carrying out high quality analyses
• Evaluation of the test results

EU regulation-compliant sampling for agricultural and process contaminants

Prior to sampling, we clarify your exact requirements in a detailed consultation, for example checking the content of agricultural contaminants such as mycotoxins or process contaminants such as heavy metals, and then carry out sampling and, if required, analysis and, if desired, an expert opinion.

Our services

Our experts offer you sampling in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 401/2006 or Regulation (EC) No. 333/2007. On request, we clarify the analysis conditions in advance (e.g. type of material, batch sizes, parameters, type and scope of sampling, legal background, performance of the analysis) and check the environmental conditions (cleanliness, temperature, packaging, etc.). The analysis is then carried out according to your requirements for agricultural contaminants or process contaminants. Finally, you will receive a sampling protocol and a test report. We can also issue an expert report on request.

We can cover the following areas within the scope of on-site sampling:

• Detailed consultation to determine requirements
• On-site inspection with examination of the environmental conditions
• Sampling in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 401/2006 (e.g. for mycotoxins)
• Sampling in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 333/2007 (e.g. for heavy metals)
• Issue of a sampling protocol
• On request: Carrying out high quality tests and issuing a test report
• On request: Issue of an expert opinion

For the professional control of your nutritional information

In a detailed consultation, we clarify the focus, desired content and scope of the nutritional information to be checked or created. You receive comprehensibly prepared, quality-assured nutritional information or professionally controlled nutritional texts.

Our offer

Consumers need the right nutritional information. Our experts create customised texts for videos, brochures, websites, etc. with information on nutritional issues based on the latest scientific findings. This provides your target group with comprehensible and reliable nutritional information. We also offer professional review of existing nutritional texts.

We can cover the following areas when checking nutritional information:

• Creation of target group-specific nutritional information
• Integration of current scientific findings
• Professional quality control and proofreading of nutritional information

Strategy, process and result evaluation in the area of nutrition

As part of the evaluation of preventive measures, we clarify your exact review requirements in a detailed consultation, for example the effectiveness of the individual measures, and carry out a thorough evaluation with a final report based on this.

Our offer

When implementing prevention measures (nutrition projects, health promotion programmes, optimisation of services, etc.), external funding bodies require the effectiveness of these measures to be reviewed. Our multi-professional team from the fields of nutrition, social science and statistics (extensive experience in the areas of health promotion, nutrition surveys and reporting) analyses the effectiveness of individual measures using a combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods (online surveys, focus groups, qualitative interviews, etc.). We identify factors that promote and hinder the implementation of measures, accompany the process and provide regular feedback. At the end of the project, you will receive a professional final report and a presentation of the results for annual reporting.

We can cover the following areas as part of the evaluation of prevention measures:

• Support from a multi-professional team
• Review of the effectiveness of the measures implemented
• Combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods
• Identification of favourable and unfavourable factors for the implementation of measures
• Process support and regular feedback (telephone conferences, workshops)
• Provision of results for annual reporting and e.g. to funding bodies
• Professional final report

For food, drinking water and cosmetics

As part of the risk assessment or risk minimisation, we clarify your exact assessment requirements in a detailed consultation. We carry out a thorough assessment (with a toxicological report if required) and draw up recommendations to reduce the health risk.

Our offer

For many chemical substances there are no legal limits (maximum levels, maximum quantities, maximum residue levels (MRLs), etc.). Our experienced experts therefore carry out a detailed risk assessment with hazard description, exposure assessment and risk characterisation and, if necessary, prepare a toxicological report. Not only public clients require risk assessments to fulfil their tasks, manufacturers and distributors are also responsible for the safety of their products (food, drinking water and cosmetics).

We can cover the following areas as part of a risk assessment or risk minimisation:

• Detailed consultation
• Preparation of a well-founded health risk assessment
• Detailed hazard characterisation
• Preparation of a well-founded health exposure assessment
• Preparation of a well-founded health risk characterisation
• On request: Preparation of recommendations for risk management

Inspection body according to EN ISO/IEC 17020 (Id.Nr.: 0371)

We carry out inspections and monitoring of food businesses, including food law reports (LMSVG):

• Hygiene inspection in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004
• Inspection for wholesomeness
• Inspection of operational self-monitoring

Our offer:

• Document inspection
• Local inspection incl. hygiene inspection
• Sampling (food, swab samples, swab samples)
• Issue of an inspection report
• Issue of an inspection report incl. expert opinion (samples)

Additional services

Issue of health certificates at any time (for all goods included in the scope of monitoring)
Note: Health certificates can also be issued on request outside of a monitoring order; however, this requires a corresponding health inspection of the product for which certificates are required. Hygiene inspections can also be carried out outside of a surveillance order on request. Further information on accreditation and the scope of accreditation: Accreditation Austria.

New comprehensive antibiotics screening for food

Antibiotics are regularly used in animal husbandry. This can also lead to antibiotic residues in edible products such as meat. Early detection of these residues supports consumer protection in industrial food processing.

Our approach

A new powerful analytical screening method enables a wide range of antibiotics in meat to be analysed. It can test for the presence of residues of 74 antibiotics from 10 antibiotic families in a single analysis. In the event of a positive screening result, the further procedure (final safeguarding if necessary) must be clarified with your AGES contact person.

Our offer

• Analysis of meat from the animal species pork, beef, poultry, horse, sheep, game and fish
• Analysis of 74 antibiotics from 10 antibiotic families (tetracyclines, sulphonamides, quinolones, ß-lactams, macrolides, aminoglycosides, lincosamides, pleuromutilins, amphenicols and colistin)

Your benefit

• Sensitive method
• Cost-effective method
• Results available quickly
• Advice on further selective tests in the event of a positive result

Biological immission measurements

Inspection body according to EN ISO/IEC 17020 (Id. No.: 0371). Further information on accreditation and the scope of accreditation: Accreditation Austria

Methods (inspection methods)

• Active biomonitoring according to VDI 3957 sheet 2 (immission measurements with standardised grass culture) and according to VDI 3857 sheet 2 (assessment values for immission-related substance accumulations in standardised grass cultures)
• Passive biomonitoring in accordance with VDI 3957 sheets 1, 3, 5, 10, 11 (immission measurements using plants such as meadow grass, tree leaves, kale, maize plants, etc.)

Application (examples)

Various EIA procedures, monitoring of plants (preservation of evidence regarding emissions), immission controls after a damaging event, etc.

Additional services

Expertise and customer consulting

Scope of investigation

• (Harmful) elements, in particular heavy metals
• Organic pollutants (e.g. PAH, PCB, HCB, PCDD/F)