Environmental Testing & Analysis

Congressional Bill Would Direct FDA to Enforce Stronger Infant Formula Safety Oversight

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:05:38 -0400

The Infant Formula Safety Modernization Act includes provisions about expanded pathogen testing requirements and compulsory environmental monitoring for infant formula manufacturers, among other mandates.

Study Demonstrates Effective Listeria Environmental Monitoring in Hydroponic Produce Facility

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 05:30:00 -0500

The researchers conducted environmental sampling throughout a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) operation and tested swabs for L. monocytogenes. Boot covers proved to be a useful tool for evaluating the effectiveness of cleaning and sanitation.

Study Shows How Swab Storage Time, Temperature Affect Allergen Detection

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:16:45 -0500

The findings reinforce the importance of current best practice, which recommends same-day delivery on ice.

EU Provides Guidance on Shelf-Life Studies to Reflect New Listeria Criteria for RTE Foods

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:39:16 -0500

The European Commission has published a revised guidance document on monitoring and shelf-life studies for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods in compliance with recent amendments to Regulation (EU) 2073/2005 on the microbiological criteria for foods.

New XP-Design Assay Salmonella Serotyping Solution for Rapid, Accurate Food Safety Testing

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:02:31 -0400

The new XP-Design Assay Salmonella Serotyping Solution from Bio-Rad enables rapid detection and precise characterization of Salmonella in food and environmental samples.

Novel Digital Holographic Microscopy Technology Enables Point-of-Use Sample Detection and Analysis

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 15:40:56 -0500

Honeywell’s new Digital Holographic Microscopy technology leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and light-based holograms to quantify and classify microscopic particles and cells at the point-of-use. It can be used for liquid food safety and quality testing, as well as air and water environmental monitoring.

Advancing Food Safety Through an Enhanced Approach to Environmental Monitoring and Source Tracking

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Classical approaches to environmental monitoring through "seek-and-destroy," while useful, can be enhanced with source tracking approaches applied in food production facilities. Such approaches have great potential to enhance food safety. However, these methods will look different when applied by academia and government, in contrast to the approaches recommended for industry.

How to Improve Salmonella Controls to Create an Effective Cronobacter Control Strategy

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Resulting from dialogues held by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy's Food Safety Committee, this article shares some of the learnings industry has assimilated for Cronobacter control by following the journey of a theoretical ready-to-eat (RTE) dry powder plant striving to eliminate Cronobacter in its environment.

Bringing New Technologies to Bear for Biosurveillance

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 10:00:00 -0400

A Biosurveillance Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (BISR) system would address two mission-critical requirements for biosurveillance to detect and prevent outbreaks: rapid detection and predictive analysis.

Study Compares Culture-Based and Alternative Environmental Monitoring Methods for Listeria

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 11:15:23 -0500

A recent study has analyzed methods of environmental monitoring for Listeria monocytogenes in food production facilities, comparing two alternative methods against a traditional culture-based method.

Automated Assay Jointly Developed by FDA, Rheonix Detects Low Levels of Cyclospora in Produce

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 11:54:05 -0500

A fully automated assay to detect Cyclospora cayetanensis, developed under a Research Collaboration Agreement between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Rheonix, is now available to food and environmental testing laboratories, and has been proven to achieve consistent detection rates in samples of high-risk fresh produce with low levels of oocysts.

Food Safety Insights: Food Safety Priorities—Getting ‘Back to Basics'

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0400

In this Food Safety Insights column, we continue to explore processors' near-term priorities for food safety programs, as well as the regulations and issues they are watching that will have the most impact on their programs in the future. Food safety culture, microbiological control (including environmental monitoring), and sanitation and hygiene are three of processors' indicated top priorities for the near term.

Keeping Listeria on the Run: Implementing an Effective Monitoring Program

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Implementing an effective Listeria environmental monitoring program enables knowledge of where Listeria can enter, harbor, and move through a facility, which is the first step toward keeping the pathogen on the run and not allowing it to impact production surfaces or finished product.

USDA-FSIS Updates Cell-Cultured Sampling Program Guidelines

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 15:30:08 -0400

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has updated its sampling program for cell-cultured meat and poultry products, providing new instructions to inspection personnel and enforcement officers.

Determining Sanitation Effectiveness with a Robust Environmental Monitoring Program

Sun, 11 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Many methods are available for verifying the viability of a sanitation program, and most facilities use a combination of different methods to ensure that the sanitation program is performing as expected. Pathogen environmental monitoring (PEM) programs are a key prerequisite program to a sanitation program and to any facility's overall food safety program. There is no one-size-fits-all PEM program for facilities; rather, a PEM program is based on a facility's risk factors and what product(s) the facility manufactures.

FDA Environmental Monitoring Tactics Have Changed—Have Yours?

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 15:00:00 -0400

The Investigations Operations Manual is the standard for FDA field investigations. It explains how FDA investigators are taught to act, what to look for, and what to do when they find a noncompliance at a food facility. The latest version, which came out in June 2022, contains an important update on environmental monitoring.

Focusing Ahead—Processors' Priorities for the Near Term

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400

With the COVID-19 pandemic (hopefully) solidly in the rearview mirror, we wanted to find out what projects and initiatives food companies are focusing on for the rest of this year and into 2023. We heard from more than 200 food processors in every major category. They reported a wide-ranging wish list of projects and priorities, with improving their food safety culture, more training, improving their supply chain management (especially with their foreign suppliers), and improving their sanitation and environmental monitoring programs at the top of the list.

Analytical Testing in Food Safety Continues to Grow

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 00:03:00 -0400

No trend has been reported as being more impactful than the increase in the amount of analytical testing being conducted—especially the increase in testing for microorganisms.

Getting Sanitation Out of the Reclean/Retest Rut

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0400

Food companies and regulators have become increasingly vigilant for environmental pathogens in manufacturing facilities, with problems triggering swab-a-thons and even recalls.

Keys to Effective Monitoring for Listeria

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 00:03:00 -0400

For ready-to-eat food processors, developing and implementing pathogen environmental monitoring programs are important parts of their sanitation controls.

Listeria Testing Results in under 60 Minutes

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400

The Listeria Right Now™ test system detectsListeria, including the pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes, in environmental samples in under 60 minutes—with molecular-level accuracy and without the need to enrich samples. The test has also been submitted for AOAC Performance Tested certification to further validate its accuracy.

Revolutionary Bio-Contained, In-House Pathogen Detection System

Thu, 06 Jul 2017 04:00:00 -0400

This pathogen detection system improves food safety by providing fast, easy-to-use and cost effective methodology to detect and prevent environmental pathogens.

NSF Report Reveals Critical Differences between ATP Hygiene Monitoring Systems

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0400

Adenosine trisphosphate hygiene monitoring can play an important role in the verification of good sanitation practices.

Environmental Monitoring Self-Assessment in Preparation for FSMA

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0400

With the focus of the Food Safety Modernization Act shifting from reaction to prevention, food processors will carry even greater responsibility.

Use of Whole-Genome Sequencing in Food Safety

Mon, 08 Jun 2015 00:20:00 -0400

Rapidly emerging use of whole-genome sequencing will provide a major improvement in our ability to define pathogen sources throughout the food chain.

Microbiology Made Easier: A Quick Guide to Easygel™ Media

Wed, 01 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0400

Convenience methods have become a standard for saving the food industry time, labor and money in their microbiology work.

LIGHTNING MVP ICON™: Rapid Solution for Environmental Monitoring

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:00:00 -0400

A successful environmental monitoring program incorporates a comprehensive, multi-tiered approach to maintaining a low risk manufacturing environment.

Microbial Detection in 8 Hours or Less using Bioluminescence!

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Established ATP technology has proven to be invaluable for rapid, accurate and inexpensive hygiene monitoring.

Powering Productivity in Pesticide Analysis

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Setting up a triple-stage quadrupole GC/MS for pesticide analysis can be challenging. Whether you are new to this type of analysis, want to expand your target list or want to combine multiple single quadrupole runs into one MRM analysis, the Thermo Scientific™ TSQ™ 8000 Pesticide Analyzer offers you a complete workflow solution.

Transform your Food Analysis

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Thermo Fisher Scientific recently set out to revolutionize mass spectrometry with our newest generation of instruments. To meet the increasing challenges food scientists face, we focused on setting new limits for sensitivity, reliability, usability, scan speed and even scan type.