The Food Contact Center

What The Food Contact Center does

Food Contact Center S.r.l. is an Italian ACCREDIA-accredited laboratory specializing in regulatory testing, chemical-microbiological analysis, and consulting for food contact materials (MOCA) and articles intended to come into contact with food. Founded in 2016 by Marinella Vitulli and headquartered in Serravalle Pistoiese, the company operates multiple Italian sites including an R&D Pilot Plant in Pistoia, a sales office and laboratory in Brescia, and a sales office in Cuneo. It serves food packaging manufacturers, food machinery and equipment producers, and food production companies that must comply with Italian, EU, and international (FDA, BfR, Mercosur, Chinese, Japanese, Korean) MOCA regulations.

The technical core of the business is a suite of accredited laboratory tests covering global and specific migration, NIAS (non-intentionally added substances) screening using LC-Q-TOF mass spectrometry backed by a proprietary ~12,000-molecule spectral database built with SCIEX and Italian universities, MOSH/MOAH mineral oil analysis using a BfR-validated preparative GC-FID approach, PFAS screening across 10,000+ molecules, challenge tests for recycled plastics, XRF characterization, shelf life studies, and sensory evaluations. These analytical services are bundled with MOCA conformity declaration issuance, toxicological and material risk assessment, GMP compliance support, and customized training delivered at Istituto Italiano Imballaggio. The company also sells the practical handbook "L'ABC MACCHINE" and offers PackQontrol, a web-based quality management platform for packaging manufacturers.

Commercially, Food Contact Center generates revenue through professional services on a quote-based, project-led model targeted at enterprise B2B clients. Go-to-market runs through direct sales offices in Italy, industry conferences (MIAC, Japan Pack, SIGEP, International Food Contact Compliance Conference), and institutional partnerships with SCIEX, CNR Pisa, Università di Milano, Università di Pisa, University of Florence, AIBO-FCE, Packaging Meeting SRL, and Istituto Italiano delle Materie Plastiche. The company is founder-controlled and privately held with a 10,000 EUR share capital, no disclosed external funding, no M&A activity, and operating geographies primarily in Italy with international client reach through multilingual regulatory coverage.

Name

The Food Contact Center

Legal name

Food Contact Center S.r.l.

Website

https://foodcontactcenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Food Contact Center S.r.l. is an Italian ACCREDIA-accredited laboratory providing migration testing, NIAS/PFAS/MOSH-MOAH screening, risk assessment, conformity declaration, and regulatory consulting for food contact materials, serving packaging manufacturers, food machinery producers, and food companies across EU and international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Contact Materials Testing & Compliance Consulting

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Plastic Food-Contact Compliance Testing (Polymers, additives, monomers) (AFALAIAE), NIAS Screening & Risk Assessment (Non-Intentionally Added Substances) (AFALAIAC), Regulatory Compliance Testing (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALADAA)

Keywords

• Food contact testing
• Migration analysis
• MOCA compliance consulting
• Laboratory analytical services
• Packaging safety testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Serravalle Pistoiese

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: Migration testing (global and specific), screening analysis, food migration tests, NIAS analysis, MOSH/MOAH analysis, PFAS analysis, XRF characterization, shelf life tests, sensory tests for food contact materials and packaging
2. Consulting Services: Technical consulting on MOCA compliance, risk assessment (toxicological and materials), conformity declarations support, GMP compliance audits, custom training programs
3. Training and Publications: Customized training courses held at Istituto Italiano Imballaggio in Milan, sale of 'ABC Macchine' manual for food machinery compliance

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Food Contact Center operates an ACCREDIA-accredited analysis laboratory providing chemical, microbiological, and sensory testing services for materials and objects in contact with food (MOCA), including migration testing, NIAS screening, MOSH/MOAH and PFAS analysis, challenge tests, XRF characterization, shelf life, and sensory evaluation. The laboratory is complemented by MOCA conformity declaration issuance, toxicological and material risk assessment, regulatory consulting, GMP compliance audits, and customized training programs including AIBO-FCE certification courses. The company sells the 'ABC Macchine' manual for food machinery compliance and offers the PackQontrol web-based quality management platform for packaging manufacturers.

Product overview

Food Contact Center S.r.l. is an ACCREDIA-accredited laboratory offering a comprehensive suite of services for Materials and Objects in Contact with Food (MOCA). The portfolio centers on laboratory testing services including global and specific migration tests, NIAS screening analysis, MOSH/MOAH analysis, PFAS testing, challenge tests for recycled materials, XRF characterization, shelf life testing, and sensory evaluation. These analytical services are complemented by conformity declaration issuance, regulatory consulting, toxicological risk assessment, and professional training courses including AIBO-FCE qualification programs. The company also develops digital solutions such as the PackQontrol web platform for quality management in packaging manufacturing. Food Contact Center serves as a national and international reference center with over 20 food contact experts, providing testing, consulting, and legislative support for the food contact materials industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Migration Tests Laboratory tests to identify the total quantity of substances transferred from packaging materials to food products, supporting MOCA compliance verification for food contact materials and packaging manufacturers.
• Specific Migration Tests Targeted tests to identify specific substances migrating from materials and to quantify migration levels, used by packaging and food contact material manufacturers for regulatory compliance.
• NIAS Screening Analysis Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS) screening that detects unknown potentially toxic substances including apolar, polar, volatile, semivolatile, and non-volatile compounds, performed using LC-Q TOF and a proprietary database of approximately 12,000 molecules. Targeted at food contact material manufacturers seeking advanced contaminant identification.
• MOSH and MOAH Analysis Analysis of mineral oil saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons (MOSH/MOAH) from printing inks in paper and cardboard packaging, using the BfR-validated approach with preparative separation and GC-FID determination. Aimed at paper and board packaging producers addressing mineral oil contamination.
• PFAS Testing Targeted and untargeted analysis of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) using HS GC-MS, GC-MS and LC-Q-TOF techniques covering a wide spectrum of PFAS compounds. Serves packaging producers using water- or oil-repellent food contact materials.
• Challenge Tests Decontamination yield measurement for plastic recycling processes using surrogate contaminants, supporting recycled plastic packaging manufacturers in demonstrating safety of recycled food contact materials.
• XRF Material Characterization Non-destructive elemental composition analysis using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy for materials used in food contact applications, serving producers that need rapid material identification.
• Shelf Life Testing Determination of product durability under storage conditions combining microbiological, chemical-physical, and sensory evaluations. Targeted at food producers and packagers needing validated shelf life claims for packaged products.
• Sensory Testing Organoleptic evaluation to ensure that packaging does not damage the taste, smell, color, or appearance of food, used by food producers validating packaging and product interaction.
• MOCA Conformity Declaration Issuance of certificates and declarations of conformity for materials and objects in contact with food (MOCA), produced by the laboratory for packaging manufacturers to document regulatory compliance.
• Food Contact Consulting Technical consulting on food contact materials including regulatory compliance and risk assessment, addressed to packaging manufacturers, food producers, and machinery builders navigating MOCA regulations across jurisdictions.
• Risk Assessment Services Toxicological and material risk assessments based on materials, production process, intended use, and target markets, delivered for food contact material manufacturers and food producers assessing packaging suitability.
• Process Testing for Food Machinery Safety evaluation of food machinery and appliances, including conformity and technological compliance assessment, designed for machinery manufacturers needing to demonstrate that their equipment is safe for food contact.
• Training Courses (MOCA / AIBO-FCE) Customized training programs for food contact material qualifications, including AIBO-FCE certification courses delivered at Istituto Italiano Imballaggio in Milan, targeted at compliance professionals and quality teams in MOCA-related companies.
• SVHC Testing Services Testing and assessment services for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) under the REACH regulation, provided to companies handling chemicals and articles that may contain SVHCs above thresholds.
• PackQontrol Platform Web-based platform for quality management in packaging manufacturing companies, providing advanced customer services related to MOCA compliance workflows.
• L'ABC Macchine Manual Printed practical guide ('ABC Macchine') for demonstrating food conformity compliance of machinery, appliances, and food systems, sold to food machinery manufacturers and operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conformity declarations for MOCA compliance with EU and international regulations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• AIBO-FCE (Associazione Italiana Business Operator Food Contact Expert)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Contact Center founder Marinella Vitulli has been an active member since 2009, participating as a speaker at annual scientific events and teaching technical courses on material conformity testing for AIBO-FCE certification.
• Istituto Italiano ImballaggiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining courses are held at Istituto Italiano Imballaggio in Milan. Ongoing collaborations include technical roundtables to produce guidelines for the supply chain, teaching and presentations in courses and seminars.
• Di.S.A.A. - Università di MilanocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDecade-long collaboration with the 'Ricerche Analitiche e Tecnologiche su Alimenti e Ambiente' Laboratories of Di.S.A.A. Milan, with Professors Fernando Tateo and Monica Bononi providing expertise in analysis and laboratory organization.
• SCIEXmajorTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration since 2017 for the development of databases for NIAS screening using LC-Q TOF mass spectrometry. SCIEX has supported the development of the laboratory's proprietary database of approximately 12,000 molecules.
• CNR - Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica di PisamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2020, two PhD projects have been activated in collaboration with the Institute of Clinical Physiology of CNR in Pisa for research on MOCA contaminants and their metabolites in biological samples.
• Università di Pisa and CNR PisaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSynergistic spin-off companies specializing in polymer product development and analysis, and research groups operating in collaboration with University of Pisa and CNR Pisa.
• Università di FirenzeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration since 2017 with University of Florence for NIAS screening database development and analytical methodology.
• Food Contact ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Contact Service is a team of professionals with over 15 years of sector experience that disseminates quality and safety culture for food contact material companies. Synergy project for consulting and training services.
• Istituto Italiano delle Materie PlasticheminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Contact Center participated in the collaborative study on recycled polyethylene articles and granules, organized by the Italian Institute of Plastics.
• Packaging Meeting SRLcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSpin-off company of Istituto Italiano Imballaggi that manages industry events including the International Food Contact Compliance Conference. Food Contact Center is an official sponsor.
• KCLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration mentioned in flyer for specialized testing and consulting services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 The Food Contact Center