A Canadian lab that has helped companies during COVID-19 avoid lengthy delays crossing the border and provided quick turnaround GMO testing of crops has expanded its facility in Saskatoon to meet the growing need.
The Genomics lab run by SGS Canada tests a wide variety of crops, food and feed product including canola, soya, corn, flax, wheat and alfalfa. It has operated the lab in Saskatoon since 2017.
In March, plans for the grand opening of the expanded facility had to be postponed because of the pandemic. The new facility is close to 4,000 square feet.
SGS released a video that was recorded virtually to mark the launch of the facility and the start of the new crop year on Aug. 1. Before the lab opened three years ago, companies often sent their samples across the border to be tested, and it was challenging at the best of the times. That became even more complicated during COVID-19, according to the company.
“We started this lab because of the need for accurate and efficient GMO testing for Canadian crops and food products,” says Tajinder Grewal, chief scientist and head of the genomics lab for SGS Canada.
Grewal, who was previously worked at the Saskatchewan Research Council and at the University of Saskatchewan, grew up in a farming family and is passionate about agriculture. He has been a member of the GMO Committee of International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) since 2010.
