Customer Area
Weekly testing schedule
Current schedule for routine sample analysis.
| Test | Timescale for receipt of samples and testing |
|---|---|
| Toxin Analysis (ASP, DSP, PSP). | Test run on Thursdays. Receipt on Wednesday. |
| MPN E.coli. | Analysis daily Tuesday to Thursday. Latest receipt- 3pm Thursday. |
| Environmental Monitoring/food safety screen and E.coli O157. | Sample receipt by 2pm Tuesday at the latest. |
| Presumptive Salmonella species (all methods). | Sample receipt by 3pm Tuesday at the latest. |
| Listeria species detection (all methods) | Sample receipt by 3pm Tuesday at the latest essential. |
| Norovirus Q-PCR. | Analysis Thursday and or Friday. Receipt before 3pm Wednesday. |
For other analyses please enquire (mail to customer.services@veromara.com). Samples submitted for testing on other days will incur an express testing surcharge.
Sample submission forms:
Sample Despatch and Receipt
Ideally shellfish samples should be sent to VeroMara by Royal Mail First Class Post or Special Delivery.
Please note that samples sent by courier are not delivered as rapidly so please only use a courier if absolutely essential.
Subject to your local Post Office deadline, Special Delivery samples are guaranteed to arrive by 1pm and in practice arrive in Oban at 9am the next morning when they are collected from the Sorting Office by VeroMara. They are trackable and refundable so, on the very rare occasion they do not arrive the following day, you can claim back your postage. The sample box has to weigh under 2 kilos to attract the cheaper price band and under 10 kilos for the higher price band.
Sample Size and Numbers
Shellfish samples should be mature stock of commercial size and of sufficient number for the test to be representative of the batch they are sampled from. See the individual tests for specific sample number requirements on the Shellfish Testing and Micro. and Norovirus pages of this website .
Packaging
All shellfish samples should be sent with ice packs and insulating material to separate the samples from the frozen blocks. They should also be accompanied by a VeroMara Sample Submission Form detailing the tests required and your contact details.
Please note that, unless otherwise stated on the Sample Submission Form, samples are tested in the form they are received ie whole king scallops will be tested on the pooled flesh from the entire shellfish.
Special packaging is required for salmon gills for ATPase testing and the water test we undertake requires the water to be delivered in sterilised containers. Please email customer.services@veromara.com for assistance regarding both of these.
Accreditation
VeroMara is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
UKAS
Schedule of Accreditation is currently being updated