Analysis of POPs

Analysing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in food is important because they can be hazardous to health and cause long-term damage. POPs accumulate in the environment along marine and terrestrial food chains. Eurofins Food & Feed Testing assists you in monitoring them to protect your consumers.

Key services

  • All POPs (the original 12 ("Dirty Dozen"), the 10 new POPs included in the Stockholm Convention and the further 5 POPs under discussion)
  • Dioxins (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
  • Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)
  • (Brominated) flame retardants, including PBDEs, PBBs, HBCD
  • Historically used organochlorine pesticides, including DDT, lindane

Key matrices

Matrices of importance for analysis include:

  • Food and feed materials of all kinds
  • Environmental samples such as water, soil, sediment, plants, waste and sewage sludge
  • Air samples (emissions/immissions, indoor air)
  • Samples of human origin such as blood, breast milk, adipose tissue

Quality assurance beyond accreditation

Our POP laboratories are accredited according to the criteria of DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018. Key elements of our service offering include:

  • Ultra-trace analysis through state-of-the-art instrumentation for detecting of POPs at trace levels
  • Use of certified standards and reference materials
  • Regular and successful participation in external proficiency tests and interlaboratory tests, e.g. Folkehelsa (N), Quasimeme (NL), FAPAS (UK), UMEA University (S), Certification studies for BCR (EU)
  • Active participation in study groups for the development of analysis methods (DIN, CEN)
  • Research and own method development
  • Advice and support from our specialists with many years of experience
  • More than 260 scientific publications and presentations during the last decade

Your Competence Centre for POPs

Eurofins GfA Lab Service GmbH, the POP Competence Centre of the international Eurofins Network located in Hamburg, Germany, is one of the worldwide few laboratories that can analyse nearly all persistent organic pollutants (POPs) banned or regulated in the Stockholm Convention in its own laboratory. 

Furthermore, we are able to analyse all 209 PCBs including the dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs, also known as WHO-PCBs) and ndl-PCBs (non-dioxin-like PCBs, also known as indicator- or ICES6-PCBs) as required by the California Proposition 65.

Legal bases and guidelines*

* Regulatory information is provided for general guidance only and may not reflect the most recent regulatory changes. Always consult official sources for up‑to‑date legislation. For market‑specific support, please contact your local Eurofins Food Testing laboratory. Our specialists offer tailored support through horizon scanning and food safety consultancy services.

Get in touch

For small batches, order our most routine testing from Eurofins Testing Direct.

Would you like to find out more about our testing solutions, access our competence centre services, or do you need tailored analytical or consultancy support?

Contact Eurofins Food Testing UK today to speak to our experts by submitting an enquiry form or calling +44 (0) 845 604 6740.

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