A look at food testing from the perspective of the testers and industry experts who devote their careers to it.

The world of food and supplement testing is often viewed as a black box. As producers, processors, and consumers, you know that testing is done on food to create nutrient labels, verify claims and safety standards, and comply with regulations. This view of food testing is baked into HACCP plans and company SOPs, dictating that the testing must be done.

But how is food and supplement testing approached and performed, considering the vast array of testing methodologies and the innumerable variety of product matrices and formulations? What do laboratory results mean and how can they be used to improve the actual products and processes?

Join Eurofins Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Doug Marshall, as he shines the light into the box to dive into the motives and workings behind the science with experts spanning all areas of the testing industry from research microbiologists to business directors.

These casual conversations led by Dr. Marshall, will provide you with:

• Transparency into the testing process
• Key regulatory considerations across multiple industries
• Best practices for sampling and method selection
• Insights and guidance on result meaning and application

Mollie Van Alst serves as the Senior Analytical Services Manager within Eurofins Food Chemistry Testing laboratory in Des Moines, IA, which specializes in nutrition analysis of several food & beverage matrices. Mollie's subject matter expertise lies in FDA nutrition labeling, specifically the Nutrition Facts Panel portion but also other components.

Her day-to-day involves troubleshooting lab results as they pertain to nutrition labeling, such as mass balance discrepancies or fitness for regulatory compliance. Mollie also keeps current with new industry regulations and provides training to internal team members, as well as hosts external webinars for Eurofins clients.

Stay tuned for the next episode in our "Behind the Science" series. Sign up below to be notified of upcoming episodes.

Copyright © 2025 Eurofins Food Chemistry Testing Des Moines