Case Study: Optimizing Laboratory Environment for Successful IVF The London Women’s Clinic in Cardiff (LWC Wales) is one of ten clinics within its group which collectively provide expert fertility treatment to families across England and Wales. When it comes to IVF and fertility treatment there is no ‘off-the-shelf’ or ‘one size fits all’ solution and, as such, the medical teams produce a bespoke fertility programme for each and every patient.  This dedicated approach has earned the clinic...

Food recalls are on the rise across the UK as major production plants get caught-up in hygiene scandals In the last few months, there has been a spate of hygiene scandals at food production plants with poor hygiene being exposed, putting consumers at risk. This resulted in two meat suppliers withdrawing all affected products in their supply chains. The Derby-based supplier was forced to recall its meat products after the Food Standards Agency (FSA) inspectors uncovered hygiene and food...

Introducing Gem Scientific's Firefly Exchange Using a hygiene monitoring system to evaluate the effectiveness of your cleaning procedures is a critical aspect of any HACCP programme. A well planned HACCP helps you ensure the sanitary condition of your manufacturing environment. With Gem Scientific's Firefly Exchange you can trade-in your old luminometer and get a minimum of £750 off against a brand new 3M Clean-Trace Hygiene Monitoring and Management System. The 3M Clean-Trace LM1 Hygiene...

Etymology of Hygiene We all know the term hygiene, in our office you don't go a few hours without hearing it but have you ever wondered about where the word came from? hygiene (n.)Conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease, especially through cleanliness. Etymology is the study of the origin of words and the way their meanings have changed throughout history. The word hygiene comes from the French hygiène which in turn came from the New Latin hygieina and...

Food is big business so why do so many companies keep falling short of when it comes to food hygiene? This week we have a blog from our resident microbiologist Llinos Thomas, who has over 20 years’ experience working in food microbiology laboratories. All too often we are seeing breaches of food hygiene and food safety regulations and standards in the media. If it’s not local takeaways and restaurants getting a zero hygiene rating it’s food manufacturing companies being exposed for their poor...

Benefits of Ohaus Valor 2000 Get the most out of your food scale with the Ohaus Valor 2000, a rapid-response scale designed with the food industry in mind. Its winning combination of speed and durability raises the bar and sets a new industry standard. Available in both stainless steel and plastic housing designs, Valor 2000 offers large LED front and rear displays, food safety and puncture resistant keypads, making it the premier value scale for use in dry or washdown environments. The...

What is raw water and how safe is it to drink? Over the last few weeks, we've seen numerous news stories about another health fad that is seriously bad for your health. The trend has stemmed from a company called Live Water based in California which supplies jugs of their raw water to those living in and around LA and San Francisco. The company founder, Mukhande Singh argues "Stripping out the 'bad' stuff from water when treating it, leaves you short on nutrients and minerals."  This is a...

Gem Scientific Acquire Bradford Based Precision Instruments Leeds based Gem Scientific has acquired the ISO accredited weighing specialist Precision Instruments who will become part of the Gem Group with immediate effect. This is the third acquisition Gem have made within the past two years with the backing of investment partner Solingen Private Equity. The acquisition of Precision Instruments allows Gem Scientific, through previous acquisition Northern Balance, to extend the capability of...

3M™ Petrfilm™ Lactic Acid Bacteria count plates receive NF validation from AFNOR certification 3M have received NF Validation from AFNOR for their Petrifilm Lactic Acid Bacteria Count Plate. The validation of the Lactic Acid Plate is for the enumeration of mesophilic lactic acid bacteria in all human food products (excluding yoghurts) and environmental samples. These ready to use plates simplify the testing process and give accurate results in less time, helping to reduce...

A whirlwind trip around the solar system for the East Region Association of Microbiologists Yesterday we welcomed the East Region Association of Microbiologists (ERAM) to The Planetarium at ThinkTank Birmingham for their general meeting. We started the day with refreshments on the third floor where guests could interact with all the exhibits in the museums 'Futures' floor - including a drum playing robotic arm! The meeting kicked off with Justin welcoming the guests and introducing them to...