A new laboratory dedicated to inspecting food, medicine and cosmetics - the first of its kind in Bahrain - was officially opened in Hidd Industrial Area yesterday (November 6).

The BD1 million ($2.6 million) Inspection Food and Drugs Lab is designed to mitigate the impact of health scares such as the baby milk shortage of 2008 that saw thousands of babies in China suffering from kidney stones after drinking tainted baby formula, lab president Dr Riyadh Al Ashban told the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

"During this crisis, some companies used unsafe products that included melamine - not just in the Middle East but also in China, Europe, America and New Zealand," he said at a media event to announce the lab's launch at the Gulf Hotel.

"Our job is to make sure things like that don't happen."

Although approximately 70 per cent of the lab's workload will be taken up by food testing, medicines, cosmetics, fertilisers and pesticides will also be tested.

"For animals, we have to make sure that the soil and plants that they are consuming are okay for them, because they remain in the meat when we consume it," said Dr Al Ashban.

"Some pesticides can result in different types of cancer and kidney failure."

The lab, which has been operational for two months and employs 10 analysts and five administrators, can provide a full microbial analysis on products within three days, the doctor said.

"In Bahrain, as in most countries around the world, meat is the greatest problem," he said.

"We will focus on this and we will be able to tell when the animal was killed - not just to the day, but almost to the minute, and we will be able to tell when it was frozen." - TradeArabia News Service