The Deal
Mérieux NutriSciences has signed an agreement to acquire Certified Group, a Warburg Pincus–backed testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) platform that generates approximately $300 million in annual revenue through 31 laboratories across North America. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, pending customary regulatory conditions.
For food and beverage operators — including convenience-channel suppliers and the processors behind c-store perimeter categories such as protein snacks, dairy, and packaged deli — the deal signals further consolidation among third-party food-safety labs at a moment when supply-chain transparency and retailer audit requirements are intensifying.
What Certified Group Brings
Certified Group operates through three core verticals. Its Food & Beverage arm, anchored by Food Safety Net Services (FSNS) and Certified Labs, holds leading positions in protein, dairy, packaged foods, nuts, spices, and FDA import services — categories that map directly to the top-selling ambient and refrigerated SKUs in the convenience channel. Its COS division serves cosmetics, over-the-counter drugs, and supplement manufacturers, a fast-growing set of categories now common in c-store health-and-beauty sets. Labstat International rounds out the portfolio as a prominent reduced-harm nicotine product testing lab, relevant as alternative nicotine products claim more forecourt-adjacent shelf space.
Specialty service units — Lab Plus (contract research), EAS Consulting Group (regulatory consulting), and FSNS Certification & Audit (GFSI and animal welfare certifications) — give the combined company a full-service compliance posture that foodservice and ingredient suppliers increasingly require before landing on retailer approved-vendor lists.
Scale and Market Context
Mérieux NutriSciences estimates the outsourced North American food TIC sector at more than $2.5 billion. The company already operates more than 140 accredited laboratories globally with a team of over 10,000 employees. Adding Certified Group's coast-to-coast footprint accelerates the Chicago-based firm's ability to serve time-sensitive production facilities — a key selling point for protein processors and co-manufacturers supplying just-in-time foodservice programs at large c-store chains.
"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, added that the combined network will support dedicated 24/7 operations and faster turnaround times — a critical capability for back-of-house food-safety managers at high-volume retail foodservice operators.
Mérieux NutriSciences has committed to preserving and investing in the FSNS beef, pork, and poultry testing business, signaling continuity for animal-protein suppliers whose products anchor roller-grill and grab-and-go programs across thousands of c-store locations. For convenience retailers and their supply chains, a larger, better-resourced testing network means shorter lab queues, broader geographic coverage, and a single-vendor option for the growing roster of regulatory and certification requirements attached to private-label and foodservice programs.
This deal fits a broader pattern of food-safety and supply-chain investment reshaping c-store-adjacent foodservice and reflects the m-and-a activity accelerating across food and beverage testing services.
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.
