Following successful trials with several Gulf airline and other leisure operators, a landmark agreement has been signed to bring new standards to food safety in the Middle East. Intertek, a leading international provider of quality and safety services, has completed the agreement with Alaska Food Diagnostics to evaluate its rapid, specific pathogen detection systems with Jumeriah International, Emirates, Etihad and Gulf Air.

'Alaska Food Diagnostics' fastrAK™ diagnostic system provides next day results - welcome news for any food manufacturer or supplier wishing to quickly and reliably ensure food safety. This revolutionary new technology will be showcased at this year's ITCA, Dubai, 3 - 5 November.

Salmonella is the most commonly implicated pathogen in aircraft food outbreaks. Verotoxic E.coli also presents a very real danger. The fastrAK food quality testing assures a vital component of aviation safety and is ideally positioned for the fast-moving nature of this airline. Its precision and high specificity eliminate false positive results, which typically categorise present - but harmless - bacteria as a danger. Instead, FastrAK only detects and represents active contamination sources, enabling optimal productivity and time efficiency.

Anthony Wilkinson, Business Manager, Intertek Dubai Food and Water Services said: “There is increasing awareness of the importance of food inspection and safety certification across the region's hospitality industry and new advances in technology are enabling faster diagnosis and better detection rates. Working with Alaska Food Diagnostics will enable us to ensure that companies in the region are performing to the highest possible standard in terms of protecting their customers.”

Laurence Callow, CEO, Alaska Food Diagnostics, affirms: “Our presence at the ITCA marks an advance in airline food safety measures across the Gulf region and, by nature of the industry, has a global reach. The challenges faced by this industry are directly motivated by increasing consumer expectations - the quality and safety of airline food is critical in enforcing their commercial success. We have developed the fastrAK system with the wider world of food manufacturing in mind, yet the vulnerability of this particular sector and dangers of in-flight sickness necessitate equal - if not greater - diligence when considering food safety.”