There has been much discussion in recent years about the use of rapid microbiological methods (RMM) in food safety testing and, most recently, controversial debates about whether they are still needed. With laboratory outsourcing at a historic high and better shipping methods delivering samples to labs ever faster, are rapid test methods—especially those employed in-plant by food processors—still a necessary technology? Or is the ease of use and faster time to results still essential for better food safety management?

We wanted to explore this question further, so we conducted a survey in September of more than 250 food processors from around the world and conducted additional interviews. We asked how many processors are employing RMM, which test they are using, and why they selected that type.