Merck Opens its First Customer Food Safety Studio

          - New Food Safety Studio in Bellevue, Washington, serves as global center for innovation and collaboration

          - Demonstration and training lab space extends product and process development to customers

          Merck , a leading science and technology company, has opened its first global Food Safety Studio in Bellevue, Washington for manufacturers of all types of food (beef, poultry, produce, etc.) to collaborate with Merck scientists on developing safety products for rapid detection of foodborne pathogens.

         

          The new 5,300-square foot center gives customers access to a complete food safety workflow, from raw materials testing to finished-product safety testing, to help find, correct and prevent hazards within the food supply chain. The center allows customers to work with many manual or automated food safety products such as testing kits and hygiene swabs that are critical to maintaining safety throughout the manufacturing process.

          "The opening of Merck's Food Safety Studio demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the safety of the global food supply," said Jean-Charles Wirth, Head of the Applied Solutions business unit, Life Science at Merck. "We are bringing teams together in a workspace designed to foster open innovation and collaboration with the goal of becoming the leader in food safety testing."

          According to the World Health Organization , an estimated 600 million people in the world — almost one-in-10 — fall ill after eating contaminated food, and 420,000 die every year.

          Merck, which earlier this year acquired BioControl Systems , a global leader in food safety testing, helps customers protect the global food supply by providing a comprehensive portfolio of state-of-the-art testing technologies.

          Customer visits are being scheduled for the new Food Safety Studio, which features a Food Safety Demonstration Center designed with a classroom setting and demonstration lab.

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          About Merck
          Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of €15 billion in 66 countries.

          Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.