The detection and enumeration of pathogens in food and on surfaces that come into contact with food are an important component of any integrated program to ensure the safety of foods throughout the food supply chain. Both government authorities and food companies use microbiological analysis to monitor the state of contamination at all times and analyze its trends so as to detect emerging risks.

Food contaminated with microorganisms may pose a risk to the consumer. In order to better protect the health of consumers, all actors involved in food processing are responsible for the quality of their products, from farm to fork. In addition to the detection of pathogenic microorganisms, it is important to monitor typical spoilage organisms in order to reduce losses during production. Microbiological examination of foods and food ingredients helps to：
*   Assess their safety to consumers,
*   Their stability or shelf life under normal storage conditions and
*   The level of sanitation used during handling.

Microbiological analysis of foods is based on the detection of microorganisms by visual, biochemical, immunological, or genetic means, either before enrichment (quantitative or enumerative methods) or after enrichment (qualitative methods, also known as presence/absence tests). Testing often includes food product testing and environmental monitoring for pathogens, indicators and/or spoilage organisms.

A wide range of solutions for detecting food pathogens is available: