Merck Earns Accreditation for Quality Control of Culture Media

• QC lab adheres to the most stringent international standards for quality in preparation and performance
• Accreditation certifies full compliance of GranuCult™ culture media

Darmstadt, Germany, April 19, 2016 — Merck, a leading science and technology company, has received accreditation for the quality control of dehydrated culture media tested at its Microbiology Quality Control Laboratory in Darmstadt.

The ISO/IEC-17025:2005 is the international standard in testing and calibration for laboratory quality systems. The accreditation means that global customers in the food, beverage and municipal water industries can be assured that Merck’s facility adheres to the most stringent international standards for quality in preparation and performance. The accreditation provides a benchmark for lab competence for specific types of testing, measurement and calibration, informing customers that test data supplied by the lab are accurate and reliable.

Having an ISO/IEC-17025:2005 accreditation from Germany’s national accreditation body, DAkkS, ensures the full compliance of the lab’s GranuCult™ culture media to the new mandatory standard ISO 11133:2014 concerning the preparation, production, storage and performance testing of culture media. ISO/IEC-17025:2005-certified culture media help lab professionals remain consistently compliant and accurate in their microbial testing of food and water samples.

Laboratories are evaluated periodically to ensure continued compliance with requirements and maintenance of operations standards.

About Merck
Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2015, Merck generated sales of €12.85 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.