DuPont selling food safety testing business

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DuPont food safetyDuPont Nutrition & Health is selling a food safety testing business that operated under the Qualicon name.

 Hygiena, a Warburg Pincus private equity company that specializes in food safety and environmental sanitation testing, announced that  it will acquire the global food safety diagnostics business for an undisclosed amount. 

The  business has about 70 employees in 13 countries.  Employees will have the option of working at Hygiena. 

The acquisition includes all of DuPont Diagnostics business assets, including the BAX  and RiboPrinter  Systems and associated test kits; a global and technically trained sales, R&D and manufacturing organization; and in-house production capacity.

The business was formed by DuPont in 1992 as Qualicon. Hygiena will retain the Qualicon name. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, pending customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

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Shortly after the formation of the business, DuPont pioneered Nobel-prize-winning PCR technology in commercial food safety testing with the BAX System for pathogen detection.  Today, the BAX  System has been adopted as the leading detection method by food manufacturers, food quality laboratories and governments around the world. Hygiena plans continued investments to maintain a leadership position, a release stated. 

“This transaction is a strategic business decision that will allow DuPont Nutrition & Health to focus on growth opportunities that are more closely aligned with our core portfolio of specialty food ingredients,” said Matthias Heinzel, president, DuPont Nutrition & Health. “We believe that the Diagnostics business is an excellent strategic fit with Hygiena.  Together they will be better able to offer greater opportunities for growth and investment in innovative solutions for the global pathogen testing industry.”

Hygiena  manufactures and sells a broad range of rapid hygiene monitoring systems, environmental collection systems and rapid dilution devices, including its ATP (adenosine triphosphate) testing system.  Its products are distributed in over 80 countries worldwide.

In 2016, Hygiena received an investment from Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm focused on growth investing.  Warburg Pincus’ investment in Hygiena was driven by the firm’s thesis that the company represents an excellent platform to consolidate the highly fragmented food and life sciences testing and environmental sanitation industry.  

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