The Customs Laboratory shares and receives the latest research knowledge within the reference laboratory activities

​​​​​​​At the Customs Laboratory, we carry out a wide range of examinations on consumer goods, foods and fuels as well as narcotics and medicinal substances imported to Finland. Through the examinations, we ensure the safety and compliance of imported products, but the analyses also enable us to determine correct commodity codes for products and prevent illegal substances or items from entering our society.

The Customs Laboratory has also been appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as a national reference laboratory for food safety. In practice, it means that we collaborate with other reference laboratories in the EU, participate regularly in training courses and interlaboratory comparisons and arrange training courses ourselves.

In autumn 2022, our experts attended several international reference laboratory events. We acquired the latest knowledge on genetically modified products, pesticide residue analytics, food contact materials, food contaminants and many other topics. International cooperation is important in order for us to protect Finnish society from harmful substances and products by using the latest knowledge and methods.