Welcome to the Microbiology Information

Have you ever wondered why you pay so much for an environmental listeria test in a NATA accredited laboratory.

It’s because NATA has put so much emphasis on the quality of the laboratory that only a few labs has taken up their standards. It seems that if you can afford to get a qualified microbiologist, get the correct documentation implemented, train the staff, perform endless checks, sign off everything, pay their auditors to pick on you, have the auditor to tell you that you need $100,000K equipment and so forth. Then I think $30 – $40 for a listeria test is reasonable price to pay.

If only they look back to what they did in the 1980′s and realised why there were so many accredited labs back then compared to now. You see costs is a big part and most places want NATA accreditation, however the lab staff must focus on running their business rather than spend 50% of their time on NATA. It just does not make any economical sense which is why only commercial NATA accredited laboratories survive.

It’s a real shame as company run labs provides real technical knowledge that no commercial lab can provide. That’s why there’s so many problems in the food industry as the technical skills are gone.

And to the cost of a listeria test, it’s only $5.00. But remember, it’s only a presumptive result and still needs to be conformed, however if you are expecting negative results – then it’s a very low cost test and it’ll save you lots of money.