North America Food Safety Testing Market Size  (2025-2030)

The North America Food Safety Testing Market was valued at USD 6.3 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach a market size of USD 9.91 billion by the end of 2030. Over the forecast period of 2025-2030, the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.48%.         

Various factors, including increased awareness of the consumers, stringent regulations, and rising incidences of foodborne illnesses, have laid the necessity for the North America Food Safety Testing Market to play its role in maintaining food supply chain integrity. The increasing demand for processed and packaged foods has made the test PCR assays, ELISA, and chromatography an indispensable means of contamination detection in pathogens, GMOs, allergens, and pesticide residues. The market is also seeing a very strong wave of technology advancement, automation, and AI-enabled analysis, converting what has always been food testing into faster and more accurate approaches, scalable from small to massive-scale processes.

Key Market Insights:

Meat, poultry & seafood account for 30% of North American testing revenues. North America holds 31.2% of the global food safety testing market.

Neogen’s merger with 3M Food Safety boosted its testing scale. Eurofins acquired 50+ North American labs, reinforcing the local testing network.

FSMA mandates lab accreditation, preventive hazard controls, and expanded inspection power. The Food Quality Protection Act (1996) continues to enforce health-based pesticide limits, supporting residue testing growth.

North America Food Safety Testing Market Drivers:

The increasing occurrence of foodborne illnesses caused by pathogens like Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and Campylobacter is a primary driver of food safety testing in North America.

In North America, the main driving force for food safety testing is the increasing number of foodborne illnesses from pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and Campylobacter. According to CDC reports, around one in six Americans, or 48 million people, get foodborne illnesses, with over 3,000 resulting in fatalities each year. These alarming statistics have driven regulatory bodies and food companies to do stricter checks and faster testing technologies. The growing demand for ready-to-eat and packaged foods has increased as these are the greatest carriers of contaminations-require prolonged microbial testing. Such contaminated meat, dairy, and leafy greens were mainly associated with an outbreak, thus setting public health as the top priority. Awareness of consumers has also intensified with growing pressure on food producers and suppliers to be more transparent. The urgency for public health has fueled massive investments in food-testing laboratories, pathogen-specific kits, and rapid testing devices. Regulatory agencies such as the U.S. FDA and Canada’s CFIA are utilising continuous updating of regulations, which will further enhance oversight. Thus, the companies will not be encouraged to reactively adopt preventive measures in managing food safety.

The evolution of food safety testing technologies is significantly accelerating the market’s growth across North America.

The market is growing fast in North America due to the advancement in food safety testing. The latest advanced testing techniques today, like polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), biosensor, and immunoassay, have reduced exposure in detecting hazardous contaminants dramatically from some days to only a few hours. Automation and digitising the laboratory environment produce conditions under which thousands of thousands of samples can be processed efficiently and with little human error. Things like microfluidics, electronic nose systems, and AI-powered detection tools are now enabling real-time, onsite analysis through the food processing and distribution chains. This not only enhances the precision of testing, but it also ensures that food producers can respond quickly to contamination risks. The connection of the blockchain and IoT in food traceability shows an end-to-end safety picture from farm to fork. Companies that typically make up most of the cost of recalls, such as large manufacturers and retailers, find these technologies attractive because they must adhere to stricter FSMA standards. The increasingly popular promises of speed, reliability, and scalability keep attracting investment to the development of advanced food testing infrastructure across the area.

North America Food Safety Testing Market Restraints and Challenges:

One of the major challenges restraining the growth of the North America Food Safety Testing Market is the high cost associated with advanced testing technologies and infrastructure setup

The high costs associated with advanced testing technology and infrastructure setup are some of the major challenges curtailing the growth of the North America Food Safety Testing Market. The high capital requirements to purchase sophisticated testing apparatus, such as PCR systems, LC-MS, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, GC-MS, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and microfluidic biosensors, come with ongoing maintenance costs. The costs of maintaining these systems are further increased by the need to employ skilled personnel for their operation, which is, in fact, an additional burden for SMEs. In spite of high costs, these personnel require continuous calibration/validation as well as checking compliance with recently modified national or international standards. Though automation and rapid tests reduce turnaround time, companies are generally unwilling to adopt these technologies because of the cost. The rural and underfunded areas often do not have access to sophisticated laboratories, in turn leading to unequal enforcement of safety measures. Such financial and infrastructural constraints hinder extendable testing coverage, alongside delaying early detection of food safety threats. Therefore, cost is another important factor in establishing uniform food safety across the entire North American supply chain.

North America Food Safety Testing Market Opportunities:

Rapid, portable, and cost-effective solutions for testing are opening several opportunities for growth in the North American Food Safety Testing Market. The near future of fast-growing and decentralised supply chains will require reliable on-site testing at farms, production units, and distribution points. Very portable biosensor devices, lab-on-chip systems, and smartphone-integrated diagnostic tools are rapidly gaining traction as a preferred testing approach because of their capabilities of providing rapid, accurate tests without sophisticated laboratory infrastructures. These innovations promise to be of particular interest to small and mid-sized food producers who want to meet increasingly challenged regulatory standards at lower costs. Along with the growing demand for organic, minimally processed and clean-label products comes the opportunity for testing beyond traditional pathogens, such as those for allergens, GMOs, pesticide residues, and environmental contaminants. The blend of AI and IoT technologies with food testing devices marks the beginning of new frontiers in predictive analysis and real-time monitoring of food. As regulation tightens and consumer expectations grow for more transparency, rapid, scalable solutions are put on course to lead the follow-on transformational change in the North American food safety system.

NORTH AMERICA FOOD SAFETY TESTING MARKET REPORT COVERAGE:

North America Food Safety Testing Market Segmentation:

North America Food Safety Testing Market Segmentation: By Testing Type

• Pathogen Testing
• Allergen Testing
• GMO Testing
• Mycotoxin Testing
• Pesticide Residue Testing
• Heavy Metals Testing
• Toxin & Chemical Testing

Pathogen Testing, Allergen Testing, GMO Testing, Mycotoxin Testing, Pesticide Residue Testing, Heavy Metal Testing, and Toxins & Chemical Testing comprise the segmentation of the North America food safety testing market by testing types. Among the pathogen testing market, Pathogen Testing commands the largest market share due to the constant outbreak of Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. Allergen Testing is witnessing rapid growth due to the increased incidences of food allergies and stricter food labelling laws in both the U.S. and Canada. GMO Testing is slowly gaining attention, especially in the organic and non-GMO food markets. Mycotoxin Testing is quite useful in grain and cereal processing, as it ensures that toxin levels remain within safe limits. With growing concern regarding the use of agrochemicals, Pesticide Residue Testing is increasingly required across fresh products. Heavy Metals Testing, particularly for lead, mercury, and arsenic, is crucial in infant food and seafood safety. Toxins & Chemical Testing is also expected to do well since it holds such strong customer preference for processed and packaged food categories where the chances of contamination are higher.

North America Food Safety Testing Market Segmentation: By Technology

• Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Chromatography
• Spectroscopy
• Biosensors
• Rapid Test Kits
• Culture-Based Methods

Based on technology, the market includes Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA), Chromatography, Spectroscopy, Biosensors, Rapid Test Kits, and Culture Methods. PCR is the gold standard for the detection of DNA-specific pathogens with high sensitivity and is widely used in the meat and dairy sectors. ELISA is popular for allergen and mycotoxin detection because it is cost-effective and scalable. Chromatography (including HPLC and GC) is favoured for determining chemical contaminants and pesticides. Spectroscopy is in vogue for the rapid, non-destructive testing of beverages and dairy. Biosensors and Rapid Test Kits are gradually being favoured for on-site and portable testing applications by small food producers. Culture-Based Methods, though traditional, are still used occasionally for confirmatory testing in smaller labs, which are more familiar with these methods due to regulatory requirements. The general trend, however, is towards automation, rapid detection, and real-time monitoring with the help of AI and IoT-based systems.

North America Food Safety Testing Market Segmentation: Regional Analysis:

• USA
• Canada
• Mexico

Besides the United States, the other countries in North America's testing demands are minuscule by comparison. The company relies heavily on these factors: strong regulatory enforcement, extremely developed infrastructure of food manufacturing, and more frequent incidence and surveillance of foodborne illness. It is also worth mentioning the large number of accredited testing laboratories and food safety technology providers in the U.S. It complements the country's leadership position. Canada is also a good second in this regard, with relevant authorities backing it to create its net worth through the proactivity of the CFIA on food safety and the generation of heightened awareness among consumers on allergens, GMOs, and chemical residues. The market may not be as large as the others, but Mexico has possible prospects for growth through increasing food exports, improved compliance with safety requirements for trade, and increased acceptance of modern testing practices. Collectively, these three countries form a more vibrant regional landscape that presents a healthy mix of maturity, innovation, and emerging opportunity in food safety testing.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis on the North America Food Safety Testing Market:

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the North American Food Safety Testing Market and redefined priorities for accelerating modernisation in this regard. The initial months were marked by the unavailability of routine food safety testing in many non-essential sectors due to supply chain disruptions and lockdowns. The emphasis on hygiene, sanitation, and food handling practices caused a knee-jerk reaction throughout the food production and distribution chain, on their immediate demand for more stringent safety protocols. New guidelines were released by regulatory authorities like the FDA and CFIA on preventive controls and remote audits. Therefore, food manufacturers and processors have devoted measures for automation and rapid testing technologies to lessen human interventions and proceed with operations without obstacles. This crisis has also increased the demand for transparency, traceability, and, most importantly, consumer trust, resulting in innovations like contactless testing, smart labelling, and AI-driven monitoring. Therefore, the crisis not only brings out existing weaknesses but also acts as a catalyst for long-term improvement in food safety infrastructure across the region.

Latest Trends/ Developments:

Food safety testing in North America is changing rapidly, driven by innovative technology and regulatory demands. At the forefront is the use of rapid automated tests such as real-time PCR, immunoassays, and biosensors for the rapid and accurate detection of pathogens and contaminants. Food companies are utilising AI-powered data analytics to predict contamination risks and optimise testing frequency. In addition, blockchain traceability and transparency across the food supply chain are expected to improve recall efficiency and consumer trust. Portable and point-of-care kits are gaining traction with smaller and mid-level producers looking to meet compliance standards without establishing expensive lab setups. Meanwhile, regulators continue to tighten the noose around food safety standards, forcing innovation in allergen, pesticide residue, and GMO testing solutions. Together, these developments speak to a move away from traditional forms of reactive `food safety assurance to a system of proactive, real-time assurance.

 Key Players:

1. Eurofins Scientific
2. SGS SA
3. Intertek Group plc
4. ALS Limited
5. Neogen Corporation
6. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
7. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.
8. Merieux NutriSciences Corporation
9. Agilent Technologies Inc.
10. 3M Company