ESR food forensics investigations are undertaken for a number of different reasons including consumer safety, industry liability and reputation, regulatory requirements, public relations and product perception. Examples of our investigations range from ensuring that 'low calorie' labels on beer were legitimate, to discovering real orange juice was being substituted for an inferior fruit pulp, and investigating the use of pork in processed meat products in the halal market.

ESR offers a comprehensive suite of food testing services for consumers, manufacturers and exporters to determine the what, how and when of food safety and quality issues. We have expertise in bacterial, viral, chemical, physical and radiological hazards in food, allowing us to identify exactly what is in your food.

We have accreditation to carry out rare and unusual tests, as well as a broad range of International Gold Standard tests, and food testing services specifically for New Zealand food exporters into China. We can also use genome sequencing to detect the presence of an unwanted microorganism in food, health, water and the environment.

Our testing methodologies determine where and when food contamination has occurred, identify the type of contaminant and its source, and identify foreign taints and odours and their source. It enables us to identify issues in a food chain or processing plant and provide advice to help prevent any future issues regarding food quality and contamination.

ESR's pharmaceutical team provides regulatory services to clients from a range of sectors including local manufacturers and importers, biotechnology companies and clinical trial organisations. We analyse medicines, cosmetics, natural health and other therapeutic-like products to determine what exactly is in the product, and we provide a secure, dedicated Stability Facility for product storage and testing of expiration dates.

Our specialised team at ESR’s Kenepuru Science Centre in Wellington also provides independent medicine testing and analytical services to local and international clients. We are the primary provider of therapeutic product testing for the Ministry of Health (Medsafe) as part of their role in the continuous monitoring of the safety of medicines on the New Zealand market.

Our pharmaceutical team also provides independent testing of natural health products, herbal products and complementary medicines for both local and international clients. Our services include regulatory advisory functions and we can assist product importers or manufacturers with fulfilling the requirements proposed under the Natural Health and Supplementary Products Bill.

ESR’s pharmaceutical programme is certified by the Ministry of Health (Medsafe) in compliance with the New Zealand Code of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and the international Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S).