Your Sell-By Date Is Only as Good as the Testing Behind It
Deli counters, prepared meal kits, grab-and-go, and foodservice operations face the highest microbial risk in the food chain. We provide the testing that tells you exactly what's in your product — and how long it's actually safe to sell.
Listeria Thrives in Cold
It grows in refrigerated environments and survives standard sanitation. Deli operations are its preferred habitat.
Sell-By Dates Need Data
Most operators set shelf life by intuition. One wrong date means waste, liability, or a retailer chargeback.
Indicator Organisms Are Your Early Warning
High APC or yeast & mold counts signal your sanitation program is failing — before a pathogen shows up.
The Complete RTE Testing Suite
From the product in the case to the drain beneath the prep table.
Shelf-Life & Indicator Organism Testing
The scientific foundation behind every sell-by date — measuring the organisms that signal quality loss and safety risk.
- Aerobic Plate Count (APC)
- Yeast & Mold enumeration
- Total Coliforms & E. coli
- Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)
- Real-time & accelerated shelf-life
- Water Activity (aW) testing
Finished Product Pathogen Screening
Same-day results on the pathogens that pose the greatest risk in RTE food environments. Batch release ready.
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Listeria spp. (full genus)
- Salmonella spp.
- E. coli O157:H7 & STEC
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Batch release programs available
Listeria Environmental Monitoring
Find Listeria in your facility before it finds your product. Zone 1–4 swab programs designed for deli and RTE operations.
- Zone 1–4 swab protocols
- Slicer & contact surface testing
- Floor drains & harboring sites
- Trend analysis & heat mapping
- FSMA Preventive Controls alignment
Stop Guessing Your Sell-By Date. Start Proving It.
Most prepared food operators set sell-by dates based on industry norms or supplier input. That works until it doesn't — and when it fails, the consequences range from a product complaint to a multistate recall.
Our shelf-life studies use real microbial growth data — APC, yeast & mold, coliforms, and pathogen screens at defined time intervals — to establish the precise point when your product crosses a safety or quality threshold.
The result: a defensible, data-backed sell-by date you can stand behind in front of any retailer, auditor, or attorney.
What a Shelf-Life Study Includes:
- Day 0 baseline testing
- Defined sampling intervals
- APC, Y&M, coliform tracking
- Pathogen verification
- Water activity monitoring
- Full data report