Neogen Corporation has acquired the stock of United Kingdom-based Lab M  Holdings, a developer, manufacturer and supplier of microbiological culture  media and diagnostic systems.

Lab M was founded in 1971, and has grown into a leading provider  of microbial testing and diagnostic products for the global food, water,  industrial and clinical testing markets. The company currently sells into more than 70 countries worldwide, and has several large customers in the European  Union, Middle East and India.

“The combination of Lab M’s quality products with our Acumedia  product line will make Neogen a leading global company in the traditional  microbiology market, as well as give us new tools we can incorporate into our  food safety diagnostics to enhance our products,” said James Herbert, Neogen’s  CEO and chairman.

Lab M is headquartered in an accredited facility in Heywood,  England, near Manchester. Neogen will maintain Lab M’s current facility, and  its operations will be managed by Neogen’s Scotland-based Neogen Europe  subsidiary.

“Adding Lab M’s complementary products and new capabilities to  ours will greatly strengthen what we can offer Neogen’s existing food safety  customers, as well as expand the reach of Neogen’s existing products to Lab M’s  wide-ranging customer base,” said Dr. Stephen Holmes, managing director of  Neogen Europe. “Lab M’s prepared media is a new product line for us, and its patents and licenses will greatly enhance our efforts to develop new products  to detect foodborne pathogens.”