Testing by Vanguard Laboratory · Olympia, Washington360-967-7010

Microbiology & hygiene

Food microbiology for product development

Choose microbial counts and named targets for the food and production stage.

Choose a purpose

Routine quality checks, a product-development comparison and a contamination investigation need different sample plans. Describe the food, processing stage, package and storage conditions.

Separate indicators and hazards

Aerobic plate count, yeast and mold, coliforms and targeted pathogen testing answer different questions. The panel should state the organisms and reporting basis clearly.

Plan the units

Define lot selection, number of units and sample portions before collection. Keep development versions separate so the report can be related to the right product.

Use the findings in the launch plan

A result describes the material tested. It does not replace the manufacturing process, sanitation program or product-specific food-safety assessment.

Related testing & guidance

Technical & service references

Vanguard service details

Source review: November 8, 2026. The agreed method and project scope govern the testing.

Start with a defined scope

Build your launch testing plan

Tell us the sample, the question and the decision your results need to support.

Build a testing request