Opened in March 2018, the in-house laboratory in Campo Grande carries out 8.5 thousand tests per month

São Paulo, September 26, 2019 – One of Friboi’s missions is to promote an ongoing development of its internal food quality and safety standards. To support this goal, compared with last year, the Friboi in-house laboratory that serves all Company plants in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, has increased the number of tests carried out this year by 86.4%. Between January and June 2019, the tests carried out at the Campo Grande laboratory represent 12.3% of all Friboi analyses in Brazil.

The Campo Grande laboratory, which opened in March 2018, has a department dedicated to Microbiological, Physical and Chemical analyses. The facility easily reached its initial goal of 4.5 thousand analyses each month and now carries our over 8.5 thousand analyses a month for the six Friboi plants in the state: Campo Grande I and II, Nova Andradina, Ponta Porã, Anastácio and Naviraí.

The laboratory will also start offering molecular biology analyses (DNA testing) on beef and environmental samples to detect certain types of microorganism using the PCR technique, which means the analyses are carried out in real time.

R$ 5 million has been invested in refurbishment, personnel training, construction and equipment purchases at the Company’s laboratories over the past two years to increase the number of analyses. These labs are strategically located to support 31 Friboi processing plants in six states across the country: Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia and São Paulo.

The additional investment has increased automation and the laboratories will also be equipped with digital technologies, increasing their capacity to analyze any product using predictive visibility diagnostics, further increasing the speed and safety with which they can detect non-conformities. Today, microbiological, physical and chemical analyses and chemical waste testing is carried out in-house to support day-to-day operations and comply with customer and government requirements (self-controls).

About Friboi
Friboi – the JBS beef business unit – has over 40 years’ experience and revolutionized the market by decommoditizing Brazilian beef and building a leading brand. The Company owns some of Brazil’s best known beef brands and has a broad product portfolio with the Company’s own name brand and market leader Friboi, as well as Maturatta Friboi, Do Chef Friboi, Reserva Friboi, 1953 Friboi and Swift Black, targeting a variety of different markets. As part of its focus on certified sourcing and food quality and safety, from animal welfare to end product delivery, Friboi has implemented best sustainability practices across the entire value chain and constantly monitors its cattle suppliers using satellite imagery, georeferenced farm maps and official government figures. The Company’s products are sold in over 150 countries and currently has 35 production plants in Brazil.

JBS
Corporate Communications Department
+55 11 3144-7997 | 5364 | 4996
imprensa@jbs.com.br