The Deal
Mérieux NutriSciences has agreed to acquire Certified Group, a Warburg Pincus-backed testing, inspection and certification platform that generates approximately $300 million in annual revenue across 31 laboratories in North America. The transaction, announced August 18, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary conditions.
The deal represents a significant consolidation move in a North American food TIC market that Mérieux NutriSciences estimates at over $2.5 billion in outsourced services. For the acquirer — which already operates more than 140 accredited laboratories and employs over 10,000 people globally — absorbing Certified Group's coast-to-coast laboratory footprint materially deepens its presence in high-throughput categories including animal proteins, dairy, packaged foods, nuts, and spices.
What Certified Group Brings
Certified Group is structured around three primary verticals. Its Food & Beverage division, operated through Food Safety Net Services (FSNS) and Certified Labs, holds leading positions in protein, dairy, and FDA import services. Its COS division serves the cosmetics, over-the-counter drug, and supplements testing market. Labstat International, its third vertical, is a prominent testing laboratory for reduced-harm nicotine products. Supporting those verticals are Lab Plus, a contract research unit; EAS Consulting Group, a regulatory consulting arm; and FSNS Certification and Audit, a certifying body for GFSI and animal welfare programs.
The breadth of those service lines is central to the strategic rationale. Mérieux NutriSciences gains not only additional laboratory capacity but also regulatory consulting and certification capabilities that food and beverage manufacturers increasingly require as compliance demands intensify across the U.S. and Canadian markets. The combined entity will operate 24/7 across the expanded network, a service model that addresses time-sensitive testing requirements at the point of production.
Outlook and Strategic Fit
"This acquisition marks an important step in our growth strategy and strengthens our ability to support customers across North America," said Nicolas Cartier, CEO of Mérieux NutriSciences. Sébastien Moulard, President North America at Mérieux NutriSciences, said the integration would deliver faster turnaround times and built-in network backup across food and beverage, supplements, cosmetics, and nicotine testing.
Mérieux NutriSciences has separately committed to preserving and growing the FSNS business, which serves North American beef, pork, and poultry producers — a segment where testing demand is structurally tied to USDA and FDA regulatory oversight and export certification requirements. That commitment is notable given consolidation in food safety testing has occasionally prompted concern among protein producers about service continuity and pricing leverage.
For Warburg Pincus, the exit caps an investment in a platform that the private equity firm helped scale into a multi-vertical TIC business spanning several adjacent regulated-product categories. Deborah Kerr, Managing Director at Warburg Pincus and Executive Chair of Certified Group, described the two companies as bringing "complementary capabilities, global scale and a shared commitment to serving customers at the highest standards."
The transaction underscores a broader consolidation trend in food safety services as large TIC operators compete to offer one-stop analytical, certification, and consulting solutions to food manufacturers navigating an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Operators and processors evaluating lab partnerships should monitor how the combined network's service-level terms and geographic coverage evolve post-close, particularly for cold-chain and protein-sector testing.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
