The global food testing market plays an important role in public health and food safety, continuing to grow rapidly due to increases in foodborne illness outbreaks, continued regulatory burdens, and increased knowledge of food quality and contamination risks, leading to an increase in consumer demand. According to the Journal of Food: Microbiology, Safety & Hygiene, the food testing market worldwide will grow at a CAGR of 7.7% and amount to $24.6 billion by 2026. An increase in foodborne outbreaks and increasing consumer pressure for safe and healthy food items are driving the growth of the market.

The food testing industry includes in-depth analysis of various contamination sources, with specialized segments registering incredible growth. The size of the food pathogen testing market was more than USD 5 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at over 7.5% CAGR during the forecast period of 2023-2032, owing to growing foodborne disease outbreaks globally. The sector is also aided by underlying technologies, with the microbiology testing market being worth USD 4.9 billion in 2022 and expected to grow to more than USD 11.9 billion by 2032 as a result of the rising incidence of infectious diseases and pandemic outbreaks.

Drivers of the market are strict regulatory guidelines imposed by the FDA, FAO, and EU regulators, growing worldwide processed meat and dairy consumption, and growing vegetable consumption necessitating contamination monitoring. Technological innovation in quick testing technologies, AI-driven detection devices, and automatic laboratory instruments is transforming the efficiency and accuracy of testing. The industry is hampered by infrastructure constraints in developing countries, but is sustained by government policies aimed at regulating food quality and increasing media coverage of contamination-borne diseases, driving demand for full-range food tests across all food segments.