Image of Sainsbury's new laboratories at 115 Southwark Street: the micro-biological laboratory

Photograph by Brian Shuel which is part of a set (SA/IMA/4/SO/40/1-32) showing staff working in Sainsbury's new laboratories at 115 Southwark Street, London which opened in 1968. The picture was used in an article in 'JS Journal' (staff magazine) February/March 1969 pages 18-21.

The article explains that: "The micro-biological routine laboratory is where all samples of foods made by suppliers, all JS [Sainsbury's] factory-produced foods and all the raw materials used in our food production are examined. All "red label" products and all imported products are sampled and examined bacteriologically here. The laboratory has a number of functions but its main one is to ensure that everything we sell or use is safe and of a good bacteriological standard. The microbiologists working at the benches are preparing samples for examination. At the back of the laboratory are incubators in which bacteria present in the samples will be grown at their optimum growth temperature".