FoodChain ID, a Paine Schwartz Partners LLC portfolio company and a platform dedicated to providing technology-enabled food safety, quality and sustainability solutions, announced Nov. 18 that it has acquired Diversified Laboratories LLC, an analytical laboratory specializing in the detection of pesticide, chemical and antibiotic residues and quality measurements in food and animal feed products.

Based in Chantilly, Va., and founded in 1977, Diversified is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-accredited and ISO 17025-certified laboratory specializing in the rapid detection and reporting of more than 600 types of pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, antibiotics, mycotoxins and many other chemical contaminants in human food and animal feed products, the announcement said.

Diversified's state-of-the-art facility is the only independent laboratory in the U.S. that is USDA accredited for testing for chlorinated hydrocarbons and PCBs. The company has long-standing relationships across a wide customer base that includes major poultry, animal feed and food ingredient suppliers in the U.S., FoodChain ID noted.

Brad Riemenapp, chief executive officer of FoodChain ID, said, "The acquisition of Diversified enables FoodChain ID to provide a more comprehensive contaminants testing solution while offering our customers industry-leading turnaround times. Diversified brings a complementary set of expertise and capabilities that expand our market-leading portfolio of broader technology-enabled solutions and accelerates FoodChain ID's strategic innovation initiatives."

Diversified CEO Peter Kendrick said, "We believe the combination with FoodChain ID will enable us to expand our customer base globally, develop new testing methodologies and enhance our technical capabilities. As part of FoodChain ID, we will be able to offer testing solutions across the food supply chain and will offer services that are even more comprehensive to our customers. I want to thank our employees for their commitment to innovation and hard work over the last 40-plus years, which has helped us get to where we are today. We are excited about the opportunities we see with FoodChain ID to grow our business and build on our record of serving our customers."

The FoodChain ID Group has operations across North and South America, Europe and Asia and provides integrated food safety and food quality solutions that address the challenges and opportunities in the rapidly evolving food industry. Serving more than 30,000 clients in more than 100 countries with a portfolio of testing, inspection, certification and consulting services, the group helps companies navigate the increasingly regulated global food economy in its demands for higher levels of transparency, accountability, safety and sustainability.

A global leader in sustainable food chain investing, Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm focused exclusively on investment opportunities in the fast-growing, dynamic global food and agribusiness sectors.