NSF International Acquires Brazil's Bioensaios Analysis and Environmental Consultancy Ltd., a Leading Analytical Laboratory with Food, Agribusiness, Water and Environmental Testing Services

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Acquisition expands NSF International's market leadership in water, food safety, pharma, agroscience and environmental services across Latin America

Broadens Bioensaios' offerings in supply chain food safety, green chemistry, food equipment, medical device and pharmaceutical industries

ANN ARBOR, Mich. and PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil, Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NSF International, an independent global public health and safety organization that develops standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, water and pharma biotech industries, has acquired Bioensaios Analysis and Environmental Consulting Laboratory Ltd., based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. It will become known as NSF Bioensaios.

Founded in 1990, Bioensaios is a leading analytical laboratory that provides GLP (Good Laboratory Practices) studies and highly specialized testing services, including ecotoxicity, for a range of domestic and international companies as well as government agencies serving the water, food and agribusiness industries. NSF International clients now have access to NSF Bioensaios' full set of services, including environmental evaluations for freshwater, seawater, effluent, soil and sediment; valuation reports on drinking water, food and feed safety; and OECD-GLP studies for chemical products, drugs, materials and components.

"NSF International's acquisition of Bioensaios significantly enhances both organizations. In addition, it expands NSF's technical leadership in water, food safety, health sciences and sustainability in Latin America's largest market while reinforcing NSF's global commitment to technical excellence," said Kevan P. Lawlor, NSF International President and CEO.

The acquisition complements NSF International's existing operations in Peru, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica, and its recent acquisition of the INASSA Group, a Peruvian leader in testing for the water, seafood, pharmaceutical and mining industries. 

"As part of NSF International's global organization, we know Bioensaios found a partner that shares the same commitment to providing the most comprehensive solutions developed from an intimate understanding of standards, quality and conformity to assist our clients' unique needs," said Bioensaios Co-Founder Ellen Martha Pritsch. "We are thrilled to offer our clients the full range of NSF's global services and to bring our market expertise to NSF's roster of customers worldwide."

Drinking Water Expertise.  NSF Bioensaios tests both water supply systems and bottled water, and evaluates water treatment chemicals, drinking water system components and nonfood compounds (e.g. lubricants). Its leadership was instrumental in working with the Brazilian government to adopt a water treatment chemical standard that is based on two American National Standards that NSF helped develop, NSF/ANSI Standard 60 for drinking water treatment chemicals and NSF/ANSI Standard 61 for drinking water system components. 

Agribusiness/Food Safety.  NSF Bioensaios food/feed industry services include testing food and feed products in all sectors of the supply chain for pesticide and veterinary drug residues, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), heavy metals and other contaminants. NSF Bioensaios acts as an official laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture to test Brazilian agricultural production for export. It also provides analytical support to public health surveillance networks and supermarkets in control of chemical contaminants on food.

Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Studies. NSF Bioensaios provides GLP studies for testing chemicals to obtain data on their properties and/or their safety with respect to human health and the environment, including field studies developed for the purpose of meeting regulatory requirements in Latin America and Asia.

NSF International Center of Excellence for Ecotoxicity Testing.  Due to NSF Bioensaios' strength in ecotoxicity testing, it will become part of NSF International's Center of Excellence for Ecotoxicity Testing, combining NSF's broad range of environmental and sustainability services with NSF Bioensaios' expertise in environmental impact studies and toxicity testing. This includes chemical analyses and microbiological and toxicity tests of agrochemicals, drilling fluids, surface water, sea water, wastewater treatment stations, and soils and sediments, as well as environmental monitoring. 

NSF Bioensaios staff includes 70 scientific and environmental experts who will remain in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Bioensaios' founder Ellen Martha Pritsch will continue to lead its growth and development as Director of Business Operations and Alexandre Brandelli, Director of Laboratory Services, will retain his leadership of the laboratory. NSF Bioensaios is recognized as GLP-OECD by INMETRO and accredited in ISO 17025 INMETRO, MAPA and REBLAS/ANVISA.

Sales Contact: Ellen Martha Pritsch, Director of Business Operations, at [email protected] or (55) 51 3493 6888.

U.S. Media Contact:  Greta Houlahan at [email protected] or +1 734.913.5723.

Brazil Media Contact: Juliana Wruck at [email protected] or 55 11 5090.8924.

About NSF International: NSF International is an independent global public health and safety organization that develops standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, water, dietary supplement and consumer products industries, and provides testing, training and auditing services for the pharma/biotech and medical device industries (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. Operating in more than 150 countries, NSF is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and has been collaborating with the World Health Organization since 1997 in water quality and safety, food safety and indoor environments.

NSF International employs more than 1,700 experienced professionals worldwide including 400+ microbiologists, toxicologists, chemists, engineers, environmental/public health professionals and certification specialists. NSF International operates in 150 countries throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

NSF services include food safety and quality programs; testing and certification programs for materials and products that convey or treat drinking water; testing and certification for the bottled water, beverages and consumer product industries; and testing, auditing, certification and consulting for the dietary supplement, pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries.  Additional NSF services include management systems registration through NSF-ISR and sustainability standards development, claims and product verification through NSF Sustainability.

About NSF Bioensaios Analysis and Environmental Consultancy: The Bioensaios laboratory began its operations in 1990 providing services of chemical and biological analyses for the environmental, chemical and food industries. Currently, the company conducts studies for meeting regulatory requirements and also analysis for quality control. Bioensaios is a pioneer in ecotoxicity testing with diversified laboratories and expertise in contaminants in food, safety assessment, and characterization of chemicals (e.g. pesticides, wood preservatives, oil dispersants, drilling fluids, chemicals for water treatment and drugs). Located in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Bioensaios employs more than 70 scientific and environmental experts.

Additional services include studies for characterizing and assessing the impact of chemicals on humans and the environment, analysis of contaminants in food from vegetable and animal origin to support food security and agribusiness, analysis of environmental samples in accordance with federal, state and municipal ordinances and resolutions, and support for the drug industry through the development and validation of analytical methods.

SOURCE NSF International