Food, Water and Environmental Microbiology Laboratories

Based in 12 sites across the country the laboratories (10 with HPA staff and two with NHS trust staff) are geographically well placed to work closely with local authorities in order to protect the public from health threats posed by food, water and the environment.

FW&E laboratories are equipped to carry out a range of specialist microbiological tests on food, water and environmental samples. This work provides essential support in, for example, the investigation of outbreaks of food poisoning or Legionnaires' disease. Specialist testing can also be used to ensure the microbiological quality of food and water samples and to check on a regular basis that they are safe for human consumption.
In England responsibility for food and water safety is shared by a number of different partners including the Health Protection Agency, the Food Standards Agency, local authorities and port health authorities.

Being locally based, the laboratories work closely with their local authority and port health authority colleagues to provide a comprehensive service to the local population.

In addition, the laboratories provide specialist services for the NHS, particularly for the testing of water. All laboratories are accredited through the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and have Official Control status. 

Services provided by FW&E laboratories

• Testing: A wide range of accredited specialist microbiology tests on food, dairy, water and environmental samples. 
• Advice: Expert advice concerning the threat to health from pathogens found in food, water and dairy products and how these can be tested for and controlled. 
• Training: Training to staff from external stakeholder organisations such as local authorities. 
• Evidence: Results from tests and interpretation are used as evidence for prosecutions in food poisoning outbreaks.
• Information: Results from public health investigations and local and national surveys provide the agency with a wider picture of changes which may affect public health such as effects of new food practices and effects of legislation.
• Research and development: our  laboratories are at the forefront of research and development in food, water and environmental microbiological testing. These include the development and application of new laboratory techniques to detect additional pathogens, to produce more rapid results and provide more informative analysis.
  

LACORS/HPA reports

The Health Protection Agency works in conjunction with the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) to produce a wide range of local and national reports on microbiological sampling.