Lab type
Food, water and environmental
Results against limits, and a certificate of analysis your clients can trust.
Who it is for
Testing laboratories serving water companies, food manufacturers, caterers, hotels and environmental clients, including small independent laboratories and in-house laboratories at food factories. It suits laboratories that issue certificates every day and need each one to show the method, the result, the limit and whether the sample passed.
Clients do not want a long report; they want to know whether the sample complies and what to do if it does not. VipLIMS stores the limit with each test, adds a compliance statement to every certificate, and gives you a separate exceedance notification for the results that need a phone call.
A day with VipLIMS
- A water company's sampler submits a job through the client portal, listing sampling points and times. Bottles arrive chilled; reception records the condition and time on receipt, the job is numbered, for example
W26-008125, and the TAT clock starts. - Analysts enter results as each method finishes. Each result is compared with the limit you have set for that client or regime and flagged when exceeded.
- A resample from a service reservoir shows coliform bacteria. An exceedance notification is issued the same day, recording who was told and when.
- The authorised signatory reviews the job, checks the compliance statement and authorises the certificate of analysis.
- The PDF certificate is released to the client in the portal, listing methods, results, limits and the decision rule applied.
- A food factory's Listeria swab programme runs alongside, with each zone and sampling point tracked as its own sample source.
What the pack sets up
Ready on day one, editable afterwards
Case types and numbering
| Case type | Example number | Routine target | Urgent target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drinking water | W26-000042 | 5 days | 1 day |
| Food microbiology | FM26-000042 | 5 days | 3 days |
| Food chemistry | FC26-000042 | 10 days | 3 days |
| Environmental hygiene swabs | ES26-000042 | 3 days | 2 days |
| Wastewater and effluent | WW26-00042 | 10 days | 3 days |
| Legionella | LG26-00042 | 10 days | 3 days |
Example tests
| Test | Unit (UCUM) | Example reference range |
|---|---|---|
| E. coli (water) | [MPN]/(100.mL) | ≤ 0 MPN/100 mL |
| Coliform bacteria (water) | /(100.mL) | ≤ 0 per 100 mL |
| Intestinal enterococci (water) | /(100.mL) | ≤ 0 per 100 mL |
| Colony count at 22 °C | [CFU]/mL | Indicator: no abnormal change |
| pH | [pH] | 6.5–9.5 pH units |
| Turbidity | {NTU} | ≤ 4 NTU |
| Conductivity at 20 °C | uS/cm | ≤ 2500 µS/cm |
| Nitrate (as NO3) | mg/L | ≤ 50 mg/L |
| Nitrite (as NO2) | mg/L | ≤ 0.5 mg/L |
| Fluoride | mg/L | ≤ 1.5 mg/L |
Limits in this pack are illustrative examples drawn from typical regulatory or guidance values (for instance EU Directive 2020/2184 parametric values for drinking water and EU microbiological criteria for foodstuffs). They are not a legal reference. Every laboratory must verify and replace them with the limits, decision rules and validated methods that apply to each client and jurisdiction before reporting.
Report sections
- Sample description required
- Methods required
- Results required
- Compliance statement required
- Comments
Specimen types
- Water for microbiology
- Water for general chemistry
- Water for metals
- Water for Legionella
- Ready-to-eat food
- Raw food or ingredient
- Dry food (nuts, cereals, spices)
- Environmental sponge swab
- Environmental swab
- Effluent, composite
- Soil or sediment
Words your team will see
- Reporter
- Analyst
- Sender
- Client
- Work item
- Job
- Subject
- Sample source
- Specimen
- Sample
- Output
- Certificate of analysis
Good practice built in
- Limits stored with each test, so every result can be shown against the value it must meet.
- Required compliance statements and a separate exceedance notification for failures.
- Turnaround targets per job type and priority, with urgent failures visible on the worklist.
- Versioned certificates and a full audit trail of receipt, analysis, authorisation and reissue.
- Supports workflows that laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 need, including method references, measurement uncertainty and decision rules.
- Mandatory two-factor sign-in, encryption at rest and a full export of your data whenever you ask.
Questions labs ask
Are the regulatory limits in the template up to date for our country?
They are examples based on typical values such as the EU drinking water directive. Check and replace them with the limits that apply to each client and jurisdiction before reporting.
Can we schedule routine sampling rounds?
Not yet. Sampling plans and scheduled rounds are on our roadmap. Today each job is submitted or registered when samples are taken.
Can VipLIMS invoice our clients?
Billing features are limited today. Job and client data can be exported for your accounting system.
Can we add our accreditation mark to certificates?
Your letterhead can carry your branding. You are responsible for using any accreditation mark in line with your accreditation body's rules, including marking tests outside your scope.
Try the food, water and environment pack
Create your laboratory, choose this pack, load the sample cases and see how it fits your work. Free, with no card.