Technology has affected every aspect of our daily lives—and food safety is no exception. Over the past few Food Safety Insights columns, we have discussed the changes that have been seen over the past 20 years since the introduction of rapid microbiological test methods. These tests, which were designed to simplify testing and produce faster test results, certainly achieved those goals, but they also ushered in many more changes by improving plant efficiency and increasing throughput. These improvements precipitated changes in logistics and need for inventory. They also helped drive laboratories out of food plants and rapidly accelerated the growth of the commercial food safety laboratory market. As in many areas of technology, a few developments helped change the entire landscape of the market.

However, "technology" comes in many forms, and it is not just testing technology that has and will continue to change the food safety landscape. An entire host of other technological applications have been applied to the food safety field over the past few decades.