Food safety testing in Europe is substantial, with an estimated 275 million food microbiology tests conducted in 2011. According to Food Micro—6, a new market research report from Strategic Consulting, food safety testing in the EU will reach close to 350 million tests in 2016, at which point the market should top $1 billion in value.

Woodstock, VT (PRWEB) February 09, 2012

Europe is a substantial market for food microbiology testing. With a population of over 500 million, the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) conducted an estimated 275 million microbiology food safety tests in 2011, according to Food Micro, Sixth Edition: Food Microbiology Testing in Europe (Food Micro-6), a new market report from Strategic Consulting, Inc. In comparison, there were 213 million such tests conducted in the US in 2010.

According to Tom Weschler, president of Strategic Consulting and lead author of Food Micro-6, “Food safety microbiology testing in the EU will approach 350 million total tests in 2016, at which point the market should top $1 billion in value.” Given these numbers and other factors, the European food safety testing market must be examined and understood, Weschler says. “A resurgence in public awareness in the wake of the 2011 E. coli outbreak in Germany, and the continued focus of the European Food Safety Authority on EU-wide systems, could drive test volumes even higher.”

Food Micro-6 is the first definitive report to focus exclusively on the European food microbiology testing market, and reviews the methods, technologies, companies, regulations and trends shaping food safety testing in Europe.

In preparing Food Micro-6, Strategic Consulting conducted more than 175 detailed interviews in 11 European countries accounting for 77% of all agricultural/food value-added in the EU. This primary research with food-processing plants throughout Europe provides new, detailed data on European food safety testing including test volumes, methods used for routine and pathogen testing, and costs per test performed. Differences in testing practices are analyzed for the meat, dairy, fruit/vegetable, and processed food segments. Variations within countries are outlined, and expected changes in future testing practices are discussed.

“Routine” microbiology tests used in the EU to indicate the presence of microorganisms in the food processing plant or food product include total bacteria, E. coli, Staphylococcus, yeast and molds. In 2011, these routine tests numbered 225.4 million. The balance of food microbiology tests in Europe were 49.9 million “pathogen” tests, which look for specific microbes such as Salmonella, Listeria, L. mono, Campylobacter, and E. coli O157.

Food Micro—6 also profiles 18 leading diagnostic companies in the food safety testing market including 3M, BioControl, bioMérieux, Bio-Rad, DuPont Qualicon, Life Technologies, Merck Millipore, Neogen, QIAGEN, Roka Bioscience, and Thermo Fisher.

Food Micro—6 is a companion report to Food Micro, Fifth Edition: Microbiology Testing in the U.S. Food Industry (Food Micro—5), published by SCI in 2011, which reviews the current practices and changes impacting food safety testing at 9,350 US food processing plants.

Strategic Consulting has published six reports to date reviewing quality and safety testing in the food industry. The food sector represents almost 50% of the total industrial microbiology testing market, and is more than double the size of any other industrial segment including pharmaceutical, personal care products, beverage, environmental, and industrial processes. Strategic Consulting market research reports are widely accepted by leading diagnostic manufacturers and investors as highly credible analyses of the industry.

For more information about Food Micro, Sixth Edition: Food Microbiology Testing in Europe, visit http://www.strategic-consult.com or call Strategic Consulting’s US office at 802-457-9933.

Strategic Consulting, Inc. provides market reports and business consulting for industrial diagnostics companies delivering microbiology-based products for quality and safety testing in food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, environmental water, and industrial-process water. With more than 75 combined years of international management in the industrial marketplace, Strategic Consulting's principals have proven success in working with venture capital backed start-ups, publicly traded companies, technology acquisitions, and transformation of underachieving companies. For more information on Strategic Consulting, Inc. and its current market reports, visit http://www.strategic-consult.com or call 802-457-9933. Follow SCI president and industry expert, Tom Weschler, on LinkedIn or Twitter @tomweschler.

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Mary Hawkins
Strategic Consulting, Inc.
802-457-9933
Email Information

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Food Safety Microbiology Testing Market in Europe to Top $1 Billion in 5 Years