Canton, MA, September 8, 2005 -- Shuster Laboratories, Inc., one of the leading independent providers of R&D and testing services for the food industry, has expanded their food testing capacity to meet increasing project demands from food manufacturers, retailers, and food service establishments. The company has made a major capital investment to increase their inventory of highly automated state-of-the-art equipment for rapid turn around microbiological and analytical testing.

The additional microbiological and analytical instrumentation will enable Shuster to handle a higher volume of samples, while continuing to meet the needs of clients who require quick turn-around times on their quality control and quality assurance testing.  These increased capabilities also benefit clients by offering them more competitive pricing.

To further support testing needs of food companies and food service establishments, Shuster has also invested in and increased equipment inventory for paper products and package testing.  These laboratory services help food service establishments and retailers evaluate prospective vendors, validate supplier’s claims, and meet consumer’s quality expectations. The  laboratory includes equipment for measuring paper products’ porosity and air permeability, bursting force, stiffness, smearing of printed material, flow rate of moisture from the product through packaging materials, tear resistance, breaking strength, and thickness.

“Our clients expect us to be on the forefront of every technological development in the industry, and our expanded food testing laboratories will help us to continue to meet their high expectations,” said Philip H. Katz, president of Shuster Laboratories, Inc.

Founded in 1955, Canton, MA-based Shuster is a leading independent consumer products R&D firm and contract laboratory.  It has a professional staff of over 100 who work with a “Fortune 500” list of manufacturers, marketers and retailers of food, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, personal care, and household chemical products to provide innovative support for product development, laboratory testing, sensory testing, claims validation, and quality assurance.  Shuster is a wholly owned subsidiary of Specialized Technology Resources, Inc. (STR) of Enfield, Connecticut, the largest full service, privately-owned consumer product quality assurance testing and compliance monitoring company in the world.