The food business has established a set of testing procedures for food safety in order to maintain the safety of the food supply. Along with other challenges related to foodborne illnesses and outbreaks, food loss and production of unsafe food are minimized with adequate food safety testing and quality assurance of food products. Food safety testing can also be used to evaluate foods that have been altered to withstand drastic conditions. Also, awareness among consumers about safety or risks associated with contaminated food products has led to the increase in food safety testing.

Food safety testing is a scientifically based method to determine the food safety based on its microbiological, physical, or chemical composition. Food safety testing needs to be accurate, and definite. This testing helps to address the world's growing demand for safer food and the sustainability of the food supply. Every year, food safety issues cause economic losses in countries all across world. It has been estimated that low to middle-income countries suffers at least US$ 100 billion in losses per year due to foodborne illnesses. There is a need for access to a clean, safe, and sustainable food supply for human consumption.

Fruits & vegetables naturally carry non-pathogenic microorganisms. However, during their growth, harvesting, transportation, further processing and handling, they can be contaminated by pathogens, pesticides and GMOs. The main reason for the contamination is the pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables. Hence, their market is estimated to observe growth in pesticide residue testing in the near future.

The market for GM food safety testing has been driven by the emergence of GM crops and the usage of GMO ingredients by multinational companies with extensive reach. Genetically modified crops are increasingly gaining acceptance and their adoption has brought huge economic and environmental benefits. In the past 17 years, these achievements have been primarily supported by two simple traits of herbicide tolerant and insect resistant crops.

The practice of food safety testing has gained considerable significance over the past few years in view of growing incidences of food-borne illnesses and poisoning caused by contaminated food products. Companies engaged in the manufacturing and distributions of food products are mandated by respective regional and international regulatory agencies to implement food safety testing and certification. Growth in developed regions, such as North America and Western Europe, and stringent regulations on the quality of food exports in developing countries are projected to be the key drivers for the growth of this market.

The global food safety testing market is predicted to surpass US$ 32 Billion by 2028. Food contamination now-a-days is quickly becoming a worldwide issue, that is raising the concern for adequate food safety testing methods and procedures. Food-related queries and complaints are continuously rising with time, which reflects a growing concern of government authorities and consumers. Food safety is threatened by microbial pathogens, viruses, toxins, genetically modified organism content, pesticides, food allergens and others.

The COVID–19 outbreak has become a global stress test. The reactions to the pandemic and its effects on societies and economies around the world cannot be understated. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the globe are demanding safer food for consumption as a precautionary measure. COVID-19 has caused disruptions to the food supply chains around the world and raised concerns about food security. Food safety testing market has experienced a notable uptick since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, as food security and sustainability have been recognized as key areas of focus.
Among the contaminants of food, testing for pathogens dominated, with Salmonella accounting for the largest share in the food safety testing market. Many food product recalls by FDA have been recently registered in the U.S. and other countries, especially due to Salmonella contamination. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) is the second leading contaminant in the food safety testing market. GMO testing segment is primarily driven by rising awareness among consumers regarding the presence of harmful GMOs in edible products. While Toxins and the Pesticides are the third and fourth leading contaminants in the food safety testing market.

E-coli testing is the 2nd leading segment of the food pathogen testing market, driven by rising awareness regarding hygiene; government regulations regarding water & food management; and increasing prevalence of water-borne diseases, such as diarrhoea and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. Listeria food testing and Campylobacter is the third and fourth leading market for food pathogen testing.

Geographically, North America dominated the food safety testing market and this trend is projected to continue through 2028, driven by factors such as well-established food and beverage industry, increased globalization of food trade, advancements in technology, increasing food safety & food quality standards, rising demand for convenience and packaged food products, increased incidence of chemical contamination outbreaks during food processing and increased GMO testing due to rising import of soy, corn and canola. Western Europe is the second leading region for food safety testing market. Japan captured third highest share of the global food safety testing market in 2021 being followed by China. The Asia-Pacific market is driven by stringent food safety regulations and the trend of globalization in food supply trade.

By method / technology, Immunodiagnostics accounted for largest share of the food safety testing market, driven by the advancement of testing technologies and the increase in demand for advanced and rapid technology systems. Traditional microbiology market share is declining year on year owing to the time consuming and labour-intensive factors associated with the traditional methods. Molecular diagnostics represent a highly effective tool in the detection and quantification of food safety threats associated with practically any nucleic acid content with intact sequences. Molecular diagnostics have the potential to revolutionize quality testing in food production. Due to the health and safety risks posed by chemical, microbiological and environmental contaminants, analytical methods are increasingly becoming a centrepiece of food safety programs.