What food manufacturers need from testing in 2026: smarter decisions, stronger assurance

As risks move faster and products become more complex, this comprehensive report explores how testing is being asked to give food manufacturers sharper evidence, clearer action and stronger confidence.

Food testing has always been central to safety, quality and compliance. But the pressure on testing is changing.

Manufacturers are working with more complex ingredient networks, faster reformulation cycles, tougher label claims and greater scrutiny around authenticity, consistency and transparency. Food safety and quality teams must now interpret evidence, identify patterns and help businesses understand where risk is beginning to gather.

The What food manufacturers need from testing in 2026 report examines where food testing goes next as risks move faster and evidence has to work harder.

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You will learn:

Why manufacturers need testing to reveal hidden risk earlier and strengthen confidence before problems escalate
How quality leaders are building smarter, risk-led testing programmes where every test has a clear purpose
How testing data can move beyond retrospective reporting to support operational decisions, trend analysis and continuous improvement
What changing formulations, food integrity risks and emerging technologies mean for the future of laboratories, QA teams and food testing

With contributions from Darshana Desai Mestry (Pladis UK&I), Nia Owen-Cortez (Mondelez Europe), Tola Alade-Lambo (McCain Foods), Euan Ross (Waters Corporation), Alison Johnson (Food Forensics), Ian Westcott (New Food), the report brings together perspectives from across manufacturing, quality assurance, food integrity, analytical science and food testing.

Read now to explore how food manufacturers are rethinking the evidence behind safety, quality and trust. Because in today’s food industry, confidence has to be proved.

This report is in association with Waters Corporation.