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Food Safety Testing Lab Outsourcing

Be informed. Take control. Outsource with confidence.

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Your samples. Your partner. Your choice.

Food safety testing is complex, costly, and time-consuming. Sometimes, the best choice is to outsource lab testing, but choosing a food safety contract lab isn’t a walk in the park either. When choosing a food testing lab to partner with, there are a lot of selection criteria to consider.

1

When to consider outsourcing toggle

Testing Volume

When there is a consistent low need to conduct a certain kind/method of testing.
Time Restraints

In cases where outsourcing is faster than in-house testing.
Employment Challenges

When trained, qualified in-house laboratory technicians do not meet current demands.
Capital Costs

In cases where outsourcing is cheaper than maintaining an in-house laboratory.

Use what you trust.

Whether you keep your testing in house or decide to outsource, you want to ensure your lab is using methods that you trust. See how 3M’s Food Safety testing methods align with your lab’s protocols.

3M's validation methods for quality indicators

3M's validated pathogen method

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2

What to look for when outsourcing toggle

Location

Minimize processing time and costs by using food safety contract labs located close to your plant.
Methods

Improve the reliability of results by ensuring your contract lab will use methods that best fit the metrics you want to collect.
Accreditation

Guarantee the operating standards of your lab by ensuring your contract lab operates within global ISO accreditation standards.
Additional Services

Get the most from your contract lab by taking advantage of any additional services they may offer their customers beyond microbiology and chemical testing.

Request what works.

When outsourcing to a contract lab, specify your preferred testing methods. No one knows your company’s metrics better than you do, so your preferences matter to the contract lab representative. It is recommended to request a method that best fits the metrics your company collects, delivering results you know you can trust.

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3

How to guarantee appropriate results when outsourcing toggle

Method

Get reliable results and ensure consistency by asking your contract lab to use methods that best fit the metrics you want to collect and help reduce manual steps.
Time

Increase the speed of your contract lab by encouraging them to use rapid testing systems.
Sensitivity and Specificity

Get accurate, reliable results that uphold the values of your company by ensuring your contract lab uses testing methods with minimal risk of errors and variability, especially with manual preparation processes, like media preparation.
Validation

Guarantee the trustworthiness of your outsourced tests by insisting on the methods you know and trust, even if it is not currently used by your contract lab.

3M can help you get the results you can trust.

When it comes to food testing, no one understands the metrics your company uses better than you. Ask your contract lab to use the proven 3M products you already rely on to help get results you can trust.

View food safety testing solutions from 3M

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Featured food safety testing solutions from 3M

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Resources

Learn more about outsourcing best practices by downloading 3M resources and articles.

Download articles and checklists to help you make the right choices, so you can always outsource with confidence.

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Select which article you would like to download (Select all that apply)
Food safety testing: When to consider outsourcing.
Choosing a food safety contract lab? Questions to ask.
Method selection: Insist on the one that performs best on your matrices.

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To download your articles, click the link(s) below:

Click here to download "Food safety testing: When to consider outsourcing."

Click here to download "Choosing a food safety contract lab? Questions to ask."

Click here to download "Method selection: Insist on the one that performs best on your matrices."

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