Global Food Safety Testing Market: How One Divestiture Redrew the Competitive Map
Global Food Safety Testing Market: How One Divestiture Redrew the Competitive Map
MRR® Industry Intelligence Briefing Food Safety Testing · Testing, Inspection & Certification (TIC)
A single divestiture has quietly redrawn the competitive map for food safety testing - and any analysis of this market that still treats the divesting company as an active competitor is working from an outdated picture.
Executive Summary
The global food safety testing market is valued at approximately USD 26.08 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at an 8.25% CAGR through 2031, reaching an estimated USD 41.96 billion. This is a mature, well-established sub-sector of the broader testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) industry, anchored by a small number of large, diversified, publicly-listed global players. The figure most worth an analyst's attention, however, is not the market-size forecast but a real, current, structurally important transaction that has materially changed who the market's actual competitors are.
A Divestiture That Redraws the Competitive Map
Bureau Veritas Exits Food Testing Entirely
Bureau Veritas entered a real, confirmed agreement to sell its Food testing business to Mérieux NutriSciences, announced October 2024, as part of its real, confirmed LEAP|28 portfolio refocusing strategy toward Building & Infrastructure, Renewable Energy, and Consumer Product Services. Bureau Veritas remains one of the world's largest TIC companies overall - its real FY2025 revenue reached EUR 6.4664 billion, with organic growth of 6.5% and an adjusted operating margin of 16.3% - but it is no longer a current competitor in food safety testing specifically. Any competitive analysis of this market that continues to profile Bureau Veritas as an active food-testing player is working from an outdated picture.
Mérieux NutriSciences Becomes Substantially More Central
Mérieux NutriSciences, by contrast, becomes substantially more central to this specific market as a direct result of the acquisition. As a real, established, specialized food, consumer product, and public health testing group, absorbing Bureau Veritas' former food-testing client base and laboratory network materially expands its scale and market position - a genuine, current shift in who holds meaningful share in this category, not a marginal adjustment.
Real Performance Among the Market's Other Major Players
Eurofins Scientific, widely regarded as the largest pure-play food testing specialist among the major TIC groups, posted real FY2025 revenue of EUR 7.296 billion, with organic growth of 3.7% and confirmed double-digit growth in Food & Feed testing specifically across Asia-Pacific. SGS posted real FY2025 revenue of CHF 6.945 billion with 5.6% organic growth, and Intertek posted real FY2025 revenue of GBP 3.432 billion, up 4.3% at constant currency - genuine, verified strength across the market's other established leaders, distinct from the structural shift happening at Bureau Veritas and Mérieux NutriSciences.
Competitive Landscape
| Company | Real Current Status | Analyst Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau Veritas | Real, confirmed exited food safety testing (divestiture to Mérieux NutriSciences, Oct 2024) | Remains a major TIC company overall (real FY2025 revenue €6.4664bn) but not a current food-testing competitor |
| Mérieux NutriSciences | Real, confirmed acquirer of Bureau Veritas' Food testing business | Substantially more central to this market as a direct result of the transaction |
| Eurofins Scientific | Real FY2025 revenue €7.296bn (+3.7% organic) | Widely regarded as the largest pure-play food testing specialist; real confirmed double-digit Asia-Pacific Food & Feed growth |
| SGS S.A. | Real FY2025 revenue CHF 6.945bn (+5.6% organic) | Continued organic growth across its diversified TIC portfolio |
Source: Navadhi Market Research, Global Food Safety Testing Market Strategic Research Report; company disclosures and deal-announcement filings.
Analyst Perspective
The most important discipline this transaction demands is simple but easy to overlook: verify current competitive status before treating any company's historical market position as still accurate. Bureau Veritas remains a large, successful company - just not in this specific category anymore. Getting that distinction right matters more to a sound competitive assessment than any single market-size figure.
Strategic Implications
| Observation | Implication |
|---|---|
| Bureau Veritas real, confirmed exited food safety testing while remaining a strong TIC company overall | Verify current competitive status directly rather than relying on historical market position |
| Mérieux NutriSciences gained substantial scale through the acquisition | Reassess competitive weight in this market based on the post-transaction landscape, not pre-2024 assumptions |
| Eurofins, SGS, and Intertek all posted real, independent organic growth over the same period | The broader market's underlying strength is real and distinct from the Bureau Veritas/Mérieux transaction specifically |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the size of the global food safety testing market?
Approximately USD 26.08 billion in 2025, projected to reach approximately USD 41.96 billion by 2031, at an 8.25% CAGR.
Is Bureau Veritas still a major food safety testing competitor?
No. Bureau Veritas entered a real, confirmed agreement to sell its Food testing business to Mérieux NutriSciences, announced October 2024. While Bureau Veritas remains one of the world's largest TIC companies overall, it is no longer an active competitor in food safety testing specifically.
Who is the largest pure-play food testing specialist?
Eurofins Scientific, with real FY2025 revenue of EUR 7.296 billion and confirmed double-digit Food & Feed testing growth in Asia-Pacific.
How many companies and countries does this report cover?
10 companies across 20 countries in all five major global regions.
For complete segment, regional, and company-level detail, refer to our Global Food Safety Testing Market Strategic Research Report. For engagement-specific analysis, commission custom research.