What Agrifood Technology does

Agrifood Technology is an Australian NATA-accredited (ISO 17025) testing laboratory division of AWTA Ltd, providing analytical services across food safety, feed and fodder, grain, horticulture, processed foods, and local health (councils, hospitals, hotels) testing. The company operates four laboratories in Werribee and Derrimut (Victoria), Bibra Lake (Western Australia), and Hemmant (Queensland), and serves clients across mainland Australia. Its core franchise is FeedTest — the largest feed/fodder and grain testing laboratory in Australia — acquired from Agriculture Services Victoria in October 2009 and built on Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, complemented by wet chemistry, ELISA/PCR allergen testing, AT7 Mega Screen pesticide residue screening (300+ chemicals), and Molecular Detection System (MDS) pathogen detection with 24-hour turnaround.

Underlying technology combines NIR spectroscopy (rapid, non-destructive compositional analysis), conventional wet chemistry, immunoassays (ELISA), molecular methods (PCR, MDS), and microbiological culture techniques, with proprietary calibrations such as AusScan (via Pork CRC for pigs and poultry) and CNCPS v6.5 (via Wisconsin Dairyland Laboratories for dairy). The company holds Authorised Analyst appointments under the Victorian Food Act 1984 and Approved Analyst status for the Department of Agriculture import food testing program, creating regulatory moats across all four laboratories.

Agrifood generates revenue on a fee-for-service basis, charging per sample or per test package with standard and premium (expedited) turnaround tiers; disclosed pricing includes $73.92 (standard) and $110.80 (premium) for the Horse Package and $34.10 for CNCPS testing. The go-to-market is sales-led, direct to enterprise and government clients across five vertical segments, supported by multilingual web presence (English, Chinese, Italian, French, Hindi), dedicated customer portals for FeedTest and general services, and state-specific phone support. Major customers include Victorian municipal councils, hospitals, aged-care facilities, hotels, livestock producers, and processed food manufacturers; the company reports processing more than 30,000 pesticide residue samples annually.

Name

Agrifood Technology

Legal name

AWTA Ltd

Website

https://agrifood.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Agrifood Technology is a NATA-accredited Australian testing laboratory division of AWTA Ltd, providing food safety, feed, fodder, grain, and microbiological testing services to agribusiness, food manufacturers, and government clients across mainland Australia through four laboratories in VIC, WA, and QLD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food and Feed Testing Services

NAICS

Animal Food Manufacturing (3111), Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Forage & Feed Testing Services (Silage, Hay, Pasture) (AFACAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pesticide Residue & Agrochemical Screening Services (Soil/Plant/Water) (AFACAKAF), Environmental Monitoring & Hygiene Verification (Swabs, ATP, Pathogen Monitoring) (AFALAAAE), Pathogen & Disease Diagnostics Services (Plant, Soil, Water) (AFACAKAG), Soil Testing & Nutrient Analysis Services (AFACAKAA)

Keywords

• Feed and fodder testing
• Food safety testing
• NIR spectroscopy analysis
• Grain quality testing
• Microbiological laboratory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Werribee

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: Agrifood Technology generates revenue through providing laboratory testing services for food, feed, and agricultural products. Testing fees are charged per sample or per test package, with different pricing tiers for standard vs premium (expedited) service turnaround times. The company also generates revenue from FeedTest branded services for feed and fodder analysis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Agrifood Technology is a NATA-accredited Australian laboratory that provides analytical testing services for food, feed, grain, water, and agricultural products. The company operates four laboratories across Victoria, Western Australia, and Queensland, offering NIR-based feed analysis (FeedTest), food safety testing (pesticide residues, allergens, heavy metals, mycotoxins), grain quality testing, microbiological testing, and nutritional analysis for agricultural producers, food manufacturers, councils, and exporters.

Product overview

Agrifood Technology is a NATA-accredited laboratory testing service providing comprehensive analysis for the food, feed, and agricultural industries across Australia. The company's portfolio centers on FeedTest (specialist NIR-based feed and fodder testing), combined with food safety testing services (pesticide residue, allergen, heavy metal, mycotoxin testing), grain testing for export, microbiological testing, and nutritional analysis. Testing facilities are located in Victoria (Werribee, Derrimut), Queensland (Hemmant), and Western Australia (Bibra Lake), with additional services including lime testing, water testing, and local health testing for councils, hotels, and hospitals under the Victorian Food Act.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FeedTest Specialist feed and fodder testing service using Near Infrared (NIR) technology to provide rapid, independent nutritional analysis of hay, silage, cereals, and mixed rations for livestock producers, feedlot operators, and fodder traders.
• Agro-Nutritional Testing Testing services for water quality, agricultural lime (dolomite), and gypsum analysis to support efficient and sustainable agricultural practices.
• Food Safety Testing Comprehensive food safety testing including pesticide residue testing, allergen testing, heavy metal testing, and mycotoxin testing to ensure compliance with Australian food safety regulations.
• Grain Testing Testing services for the export grain industry covering cereals, grains, oilseeds, and pulses against GTA specifications, determining quality, milling yield, flour composition, and dough strength.
• Microbiological Testing Full microbiological testing services for food and feed safety including pathogen detection (Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter), shelf life testing, environmental monitoring, and pool/spa water testing.
• Nutritional Testing Nutritional analysis services for the food industry including energy, carbohydrates, protein, fat profiles, sugars, sodium, dietary fiber, and additional components like vitamins and cholesterol.
• NIR Testing Near Infrared testing service for feed and fodder including grain packages, feed quality packages, pellet feed packages, horse packages, and AusScan pork and poultry packages.
• CNCPS Testing Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System testing service provided in partnership with Wisconsin Dairyland Laboratories Inc., offering full CNCPS results including version 6.5 for dairy operations.
• Non-NIR Testing Wet chemistry testing services for feed samples without NIR calibration, including high-fat packages for samples with fat content greater than 5% and packages for mixed concentrate feeds, grain legumes, by-products, and specialty feeds.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ samples tested annually for pesticide residues
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wisconsin Dairyland Laboratories Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015Partnership to provide Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) testing services, including version 6.5, at the Werribee FeedTest laboratory. Testing is conducted via NIR following FeedTest standard procedures with results delivered in PDF or Excel format for direct import into nutrition software packages like AMTS or NDS.
• Agriculture Services Victoria (AVS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2009FeedTest operates under license from Agriculture Services Victoria (AVS). Originally started in 1988 as a commercial operation of the Victorian Department of Agriculture in Hamilton, Victoria, before being acquired by Agrifood Technology in October 2009.
• Australian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988Active members of AFIA, which collaborates with AQIS to improve requirements and regulations related to domestic and export trade. AFIA has achieved adoption of national hay classifications, common methods of quality analysis, industry representation, and supplier declaration forms.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Symbio Laboratories: Australian NATA-accredited laboratory providing food, feed and agricultural testing services. Comparable as a domestic direct competitor focused on similar customer segments including processors, producers and government.
• ALS Limited: Australian-headquartered global testing services company with significant food, environmental and agricultural testing operations. Directly comparable as a domestic competitor with overlapping NATA-accredited food and feed testing capabilities and a multi-lab footprint.

Broad incumbents

• SGS Australia: Global testing, inspection and certification company with Australian food and agricultural testing services. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing in food safety and agricultural commodity testing.
• Eurofins Scientific: Global leader in food, feed and environmental testing with established Australian operations. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities including pesticide residue, allergen, microbiological and nutritional testing across the same end markets.
• Bureau Veritas Australia: Global TIC company with Australian food and agri-commodity testing operations. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering pesticide residue, microbiological and grain testing within a wider portfolio.
• Intertek Australia: Global testing and certification group with Australian food and agricultural product testing services. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for similar food processor and agricultural exporter customers.

Others

• National Measurement Institute (NMI): Australian government national measurement laboratory providing chemical, biological and food testing reference services. Comparable as an ecosystem participant providing accredited reference and regulatory testing alongside private labs.

Regional players

• AsureQuality: New Zealand-based food and primary industry assurance and testing company. Comparable as a regional peer providing accredited food safety, residue and agricultural testing across Australasia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/agrifood1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agrifood1

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agrifood Technology