Seven Keys to an Effective Contract Lab

If analytical results are less than your desired goal, your laboratory should be able to provide you with additional support, such as consulting and auditing, to further examine potential hurdles to your goal. For example, if your environmental samples demonstrate unacceptable microbial levels, your laboratory should offer consulting and auditing services to help you work through processing issues and potential niche areas in the facility, and should ultimately support effective sanitation procedures.

Similarly, if you are having finished product integrity issues, such as shortened shelf life or abnormal physical appearance, your laboratory should have the technical expertise to recommend evaluations for key components of your process (e.g., raw materials, ingredients, packaging) to help develop a resolution plan. Your laboratory partner should be willing and able to work with you to dissect such problems, offer alternate approaches, and help to validate solutions. Staying informed of industry trends and the latest research, and incorporating that information into its pro-cesses, is your lab partner’s obligation. Further, this holistic approach to analytical services can yield results more quickly and increase your team’s competence.

Industry Contacts

Networking should also be an extension of your laboratory’s services. Through your lab, you should have open access to a network of resources and contacts that can support you and your organization, or simply keep you informed, as needs arise. Laboratories that are actively involved in industry trade meetings and technical sessions and have long-standing relationships with industry leaders can provide information and support with more depth and speed. Laboratory partners that uphold and maintain such relationships can more strategically guide you through technological advances and regulatory change.

Management Presence

Effective management is critical to any operation that relies on the skills of individual employees. The laboratory business offers many great technological advances and, in some cases, automation; however, a laboratory’s quality is still founded on the basic skills of the laboratory technician. Make sure that your laboratory partner maintains a strong management presence that ensures that the principles of the quality system are maintained, especially as they relate to employee training and competence, verification of results, and customer service.

A committed approach to technical training and support is critical. Moreover, the depth of a laboratory’s technical support should be obvious from its overall knowledge base and, more importantly, with regard to available technical staff. Timely access to trained technical staff that can answer questions and provide information is directly proportional to your ability to address needs as they arise.

Dr. Warren is chief science officer for Food Safety Net Services. You can reach her at (210) 308-0675, ext. 220, or [email protected].