German safety and quality expert TUV SUD on Tuesday launched commercial operations of its world-class seafood testing lab in the city the first in Andhra Pradesh after receiving accreditation from Export Inspection Council (EIC). The development brings cheer to seafood exporters who used to depend on labs in Chennai and Bengaluru for testing to send their consignments to the European Union, the United States and other countries. The lab has facilities to conduct chemical and microbiological analysis of fish and fishery products, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices and milk and milk products. The lab is now able to ensure that seafood exporters comply with the pre-defined standards of importing nations as prescribed by EIC. We will focus now on seafood testing and later tap spices and other commodities, Pankaj Jaiminy, assistant vice president (food, health & beauty testing), TUV SUD South Asia, told The Hindu.. Visakhapatnam is the leading seafood exporting centre in the country and the export turnover from the city for consignments being ferried from here is estimated at ?7,000 crore to ?8,000 crore. Investment The facility has been developed with an investment of about ?10.6 crore. TUV SUD has already received accreditation by the International Accreditation Services of the United States. TUV SUD is a leading international service organisation catering to the strategic business segments of industry, mobility and certification with headquarters in Munich. Set up in 1866, TUV SUD is a 2.2 billion company with presence in 850 locations across the world. TUV SUD South Asia, which launched its operations in India in 1995, is a fully owned subsidiary of TUV SUD AG. It has 19 labs across India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.