Indicator organisms
- Total bacterial count
- Enterobacteriaceae
- E. coli and total coliforms
- Yeast and mould
HomeEnvironmental Swabbing
Swab testing that proves your cleaning actually works
Surface and environmental swabbing for production areas, kitchens, processing lines and packing halls.
What we accept
Sample types
Anything a product or a hand touches on the way through your plant. We map the points with you so the programme proves something instead of just generating paperwork.
Contact surfacesEquipment and machineryDrains and floorsHands and glovesPackaging materialsAir handling surfaces
Reported against: Hygiene zoning requirements under FSSC 22000 and retailer audits.
Quote for environmental swabbing
Tell us the sample and the deadline. We come back with a price.
The scope
What is actually analysed
Pathogen screening
- Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes
- Salmonella spp.
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Legionella spp. in water systems
Programme design
- Swab point mapping across the plant
- Frequency and rotation schedules
- Trend reporting by zone
After a failure
- Intensified sampling to isolate the source
- Verification after corrective cleaning
- Written close out for your audit file
Packages and pricing
Choose the package that matches the requirement
We price per sample, and the price depends on the determinands you actually need. Send us your list and you get a written quote with a turnaround time attached, usually the same working day.
| Package | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Zone check | Indicator organisms across a defined set of swab points | Verifying a sanitation shift on one line or area |
| Standard programme | Indicators plus pathogen screening on a rotating point map | Routine hygiene verification across the plant |
| Investigation | Intensified sampling to trace a positive back to its source | After a failure, a recall risk or a persistent trend |
| Monitoring contract | Scheduled swabbing with zone by zone trend reporting | Plants that need a defensible hygiene record year round |
Turnaround is confirmed on your quote. Microbiological work is governed by incubation time and cannot be shortened past the method. Chemical analyses are generally quicker.
Common questions
Before you send the sample
It depends on the size of the plant and the risk zoning. We map the points with you rather than guessing at a number.
In the transport medium we supply, kept cool and delivered the same day wherever possible. We confirm the handling detail with you when the programme is set up.
Post cleaning pre production swabbing gives the cleanest picture of whether the sanitation programme worked. In production swabbing answers a different question and both have their place.
Yes. A single swab result means very little. The value is in the trend across zones over time and that is how we report it.
Ready to send us a sample?
We supply the containers and the chain of custody paperwork. You supply the sample.