Addressing Throughput and Efficiency Challenges in Food Safety Laboratories

Food safety testing laboratories are operating under increasing pressure to deliver results faster while maintaining accuracy, consistency, and regulatory compliance. Rising sample volumes, tighter production timelines, and ongoing workforce constraints have made laboratory speed and efficiency critical operational priorities. 

At the same time, many labs continue to rely on traditional agar‑based workflows that were not designed for today’s throughput demands. Time‑intensive media preparation, manual handling, and colony enumeration can slow turnaround times and limit capacity—making it difficult for laboratories to keep pace with production and quality requirements. 

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Key Findings Highlighted in the Whitepaper 

The whitepaper Increased Productivity with Neogen® Petrifilm® Plates quantifies where time and efficiency losses commonly occur in microbiology workflows and highlights the impact of more streamlined testing approaches, including: 

Up to 48% average productivity improvement observed when dry‑film testing workflows are adopted in place of traditional agar methods 

Up to 94% reduction in manual colony counting time when Petrifilm Plates are paired with automated enumeration 

Actionable test data available in up to half the time, helping labs respond more quickly to quality and production needs 

Up to 85% less incubator and storage space required, enabling higher testing capacity without facility expansion 

Reduced energy, water, and waste demands, supporting both operational efficiency and sustainability goals.

These findings illustrate how minimizing manual handling and non‑value‑added steps can significantly improve laboratory throughput while maintaining analytical rigor and regulatory alignment. 

Why Download the Whitepaper?

Designed for food production and QA laboratory environments, this whitepaper provides practical, data‑driven insights to help lab managers and quality leaders evaluate opportunities to improve speed and efficiency without compromising analytical integrity or compliance. It offers direct comparisons, measurable outcomes, and workflow considerations relevant to real‑world operations.