We needed a nutritional panel done quickly before a trade show deadline. Kelp Lab Core turned it around in two days and the report was clear enough to hand straight to our packaging designer.
Priya Nair
Founder, Coastal Larder Foods
Our products
Selected items
Every service below is available as a standalone submission. Prices shown are per sample or per panel for standard matrices. Complex matrices, unusual analytes, or large batch submissions may be quoted differently. All quotes are itemised and confirmed before work begins. There are no hidden handling fees.
Water Analysis (Standard Panel)
ICP-OES elemental scan covering 22 metals and metalloids, plus nitrate, phosphate, pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. Suitable for drinking water, surface water, and treated effluent. Results reported against relevant drinking water or environmental quality standards.
From £95
Food Nutritional Panel
Energy, protein, fat (total and saturated), carbohydrate, sugars, fibre, and salt. Moisture and ash available as add-ons. Suitable for label compliance under UK FIC regulations. Results formatted for direct use by packaging designers.
From £120
Microbiological Count Panel
Total viable count, E. Coli and coliforms, Listeria spp., and Salmonella spp. Incubation at 30 degrees C and 37 degrees C. Suitable for food producers, caterers, and environmental surface swabs. Results in five working days.
From £95
Our products
Why clients keep coming back
- Transparent reporting
- Every report includes the method reference, uncertainty of measurement, and a plain-language summary. No decoding required.
- Realistic turnaround times
- We quote a turnaround we can actually meet. Standard results in five working days; expedited in two. We do not overpromise.
- Direct access to the analyst
- When you call, you speak to the person who ran your samples. Not a customer service team reading from a screen.
- Validated methods throughout
- All methods are validated to ISO 17025 principles. We document everything and make our validation data available on request.
News & Announcements
News & Announcements
2026-07-15
How to preserve water samples in warm weather
Water quality sampling in summer is not the same exercise as sampling in March. Higher ambient temperatures accelerate the biological and chemical processes that change analyte concentrations between collection and analysis. Understanding which analytes are most sensitive, and what to do about it, is the difference between a reliable result and a number that reflects the transit van rather than the river.
Read more →2026-05-20
Nutritional testing for UK food labels: what you actually need
The UK Food Information Regulations require most pre-packed foods to carry a nutrition declaration covering energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, and salt. For small producers, working out what to test, how to test it, and what format the results need to be in is often more confusing than the testing itself.
Read more →2026-04-08
Soil metals testing in Phase 2 site investigations
Phase 2 site investigations are commissioned when a Phase 1 desk study identifies a credible pollutant linkage between a potential source and a receptor. Soil metals analysis is one of the most common components of a Phase 2 investigation, and the quality of the results depends as much on how samples are collected as on what happens in the laboratory.
Read more →Founder & maker
Who we are, plainly
Owen Micklewright
Founder, Established since 2017
Owen Micklewright spent eight years as a senior analytical chemist at a contract research organisation in the North West before founding Kelp Lab Core in 2017. His previous work included method validation for pharmaceutical stability studies and environmental monitoring contracts for two regional water authorities. A persistent frustration with turnaround times and opaque reporting at larger labs pushed him to build something smaller and more accountable. Outside the laboratory, Owen keeps a saltwater aquarium and has been a recreational sea kayaker for over a decade, which is where the name came from.
Eco-conscious
Recycled packaging, low waste.
Recycled materials
Reclaimed where possible.
Member of guild
Recognised by trade association.
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Direct from maker
No retailer in the middle.