The commercial testing laboratory group Microbac Laboratories has established the Center of Excellence for Tobacco Products at its Wilson, North Carolina, Division.

The company said that construction of the Center had already begun and operational qualification would be expected to occur in February 2012.
The Centre is launched in response to expanding regulatory actions, in particular the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. The purpose of this regulation is to create a standard for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), which can include testing for pesticide residues and other potentially harmful compounds, according to Microbac.
“We are excited to have this opportunity as one of the very few truly independent labs in the market,” said Dr. Richard Higby, Managing Director of the Wilson Division.
The Center of Excellence for Tobacco Products will be located within the Wilson Division’s 33,000 square foot facility which is already FDA-registered and cGMP-compliant for the purpose of testing FDA-regulated markets such as pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and agrochemical residues. (ci)