Monthly Archives: August 2014

2 Billion Industrial Microbiology Tests Conducted for Product Quality and Safety Worldwide

Posted in: Food Safety, Market Insights, Pharma & PCP, Press Releases by Bob Ferguson | Comments Off on 2 Billion Industrial Microbiology Tests Conducted for Product Quality and Safety Worldwide Thursday, August 28, 2014

New market research from Strategic Consulting, Inc. reports on the industrial microbiology testing conducted by companies worldwide to ensure safe and wholesome products that meet label claims.

“Industrial Microbiology Market Review, Fourth Edition” is based on primary research with more than 650 production facilities in 23 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, including China and India.

Woodstock, Vt. — A new market research report detailing industrial microbiology testing around the world is available from Strategic Consulting, Inc., the leading information resource for industrial diagnostics companies. “Industrial Microbiology Market Review, Fourth Edition: Global Review of Microbiology Testing in the Industrial Market” (IMMR—4) tracks and compares microbiology test volumes, market values and methods used in in North America, Europe and Asia, and forecasts future volumes and market values through to 2019.

According to IMMR—4, industrial microbiology test volume will reach 2 billion tests in 2014, an increase of 500 million tests per year since last surveyed in 2008.

IMMR—4 is based on primary research with the quality assurance managers of production facilities in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care products / cosmetics (including nutraceuticals), environmental water, and industrial processes sectors. Strategic Consulting conducted more than 650 detailed interviews in 23 countries around the world. Close to one-third of the interviews were conducted in six countries of Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam) due to the region’s economic importance, in both production and consumption, in the industrial market sectors.

Close to 1/3 of the interviews were conducted in Asia due to the region’s economic importance in the industrial market sectors.

IMMR—4 details testing practices and methods used by geographic regions (North America, Europe and Asia/ROW-Rest of the World) for each business sector. Differences in the test method used, the organisms tested, and the frequency of testing is reviewed.

Rapid Micro Methods Taking Market Share

industrial microbiology, test volume, IMMR-4, rapid micro methods

According to Tom Weschler, president of Strategic Consulting and lead author of IMMR—4, newer, rapid microbiological methods (RMMs) are growing and taking market share in the industrial market. “Rapid micro methods will account for more than 50% of test volume growth in 2014,” Weschler said. Adoption of RMMs varies by business sector and geographic region, however, in some cases significantly, Weschler added. For example, in China use of rapid micro methods in the food sector is minimal, while the use of RMMs in the personal care products and pharmaceutical sectors is more prevalent.

Industrial Microbiology Market Review, Fourth Edition includes a thorough review of the pharmaceutical and personal care product sectors, and new coverage of microbiology testing in the fast growing nutraceuticals market.

Rapid micro methods will account for more than 50% of test volume growth in 2014.

IMMR—4 offers a detailed business review of the leading diagnostic companies serving the industrial market, including revenues, sectors covered and products/technologies offered. “While there are no dominant competitors that cross all business sectors, leading companies are emerging in certain areas,” Weschler said. In addition, IMMR—4 profiles 20 competitors in the industrial market including bioMerieux, Merck Millipore, DuPont, 3M, Bio-Rad and Neogen.

IMMR—4 is based on detailed interviews conducted by Strategic Consulting and integrated into its database of industrial microbiology diagnostics trends and practices, which has been published in 19 market research reports over the last 18 years. Delivering both extensive new data and a detailed historical perspective, Strategic Consulting market research reports are widely accepted by leading diagnostic manufacturers and investors as highly credible analyses of the industry.

For more information about “Industrial Microbiology Market Review, Fourth Edition: Global Review of Microbiology Testing in the Industrial Market” (IMMR—4), contact Strategic Consulting.

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Pathogen Diagnostic Platforms and the Jam Study

Posted in: Blog, Food Safety, Market Insights by Bob Ferguson | Comments Off on Pathogen Diagnostic Platforms and the Jam Study Thursday, August 14, 2014

The explosion in the number of food safety pathogen diagnostic systems is confusing the customer and hindering change.

What a great IAFP (International Association for Food Protection) Annual Meeting last week in Indianapolis! It was bigger and better than ever.

A couple of things made a huge impression on me:

There were more than 25 pathogen diagnostic platforms on the exhibit floor.

While not an official accounting, someone who was counting as they walked the floor told me they quit at 30. This represents a dramatic increase from even five to ten years ago. Maybe all of these companies are reading SCI’s market reports extolling the size and growth of the pathogen testing market.

pathogen diagnostic, food safety testing

Too many choices and too much risk are hindering change.

On the IAFP exhibit floor, I had a conversation with a long time contact who is director of quality at a national food company. We talked about the proliferation of pathogen diagnostic choices and how it is inhibiting rather than fostering change. He sees no significant benefit in switching from his current platform, which not only works well but is well established in his plants. Changing to save $.50 or trim a few hours of production time is not worth it to him.

He was frank in admitting that he is afraid of the risks involved in change, and overwhelmed by the choices. In essence, he said: Who knows, in six months something newer and better might come along and I will have wasted time, effort and money in switching. Plus my boss will be upset with the money spent on the instrument.

Has the pathogen testing market become like the 24-flavor jam table?

There is a classic study on choice known as the jam study. In 2000, Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper published “When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?” which examined the consequences of having limited versus extensive choices. The research involved a field experiment in an upscale grocery store in which customers encountered either a table with a limited choice of six Wilkin & Sons jams or a table with an extensive choice of 24 jams from the same company. Everyone who approached the display table was invited to taste as many jams as they liked, and was given a $1 off coupon to purchase a Wilkin & Sons jam.

The key finding was that the 24-flavor table attracted more attention yet it resulted in fewer buyers: Just 3% of people who stopped at the 24-flavor table went on to buy jam, while 30% of shoppers who visited the 6-flavor table left the store with jam in hand. And while it seems logical that people who had more options would sample more flavors, that was not the case. People able to sample from 24 jams tasted an average of 1.50, while those who could chose from six sampled an average of 1.38 jams.

Has the pathogen testing market become like the 24-flavor jam table? Are there just too many choices without significant differentiation, and is that causing hesitation to change?

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