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Executive Summary: Food Safety Market Outlook [2026]

  • Industry Growth Overview: The food safety industry recorded a yearly growth rate of -0.073% over the past five years. It is expected to grow to USD 48.01 billion by 2033, reflecting a CAGR of 7.8% between 2025 and 2033.
  • Manpower & Employment Growth: The sector employs more than 1.2 million workers worldwide and added 201 employees last year as organizations strengthened laboratory operations and digital monitoring practices across evolving supply chains.
  • Patents: The industry registered 15.3K patents, reflecting ongoing development in microbial detection, monitoring systems, analytics platforms, and automation tools to support quality assurance and regulatory adherence.
  • Global Footprint: Leading country hubs include the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Australia, while major city clusters such as London, Dubai, Bangalore, New York City, and Singapore support innovation.
  • Investment Landscape: The sector recorded more than 2000 funding rounds involving over 1900 investors, showing consistent capital deployment across testing technologies, monitoring systems, and compliance-oriented platforms.
  • Top Investors: The combined investment value from top investors exceeds USD 5 billion. Wells Fargo, Merrill (a Bank of America Company), JANA Partners, and BNP Paribas are some of the top investors.
  • Startup Ecosystem: Startups such as Sensly (SaaS for Food Quality Sensory Tests), Telsen (Food Safety Management Software), Spore.Bio (AI-based Microbiology Testing), Hypercell Technologies (Food Contamination Detection Kit), and Food Safety Plan Builder (Compliance Management Platform) highlight steady innovation across contamination detection, quality monitoring, and compliance technologies.

 

 

Methodology: How we created this Food Safety Report

This report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 9 million global companies, 20K+ technologies and trends, as well as 150M patents, news articles, and market reports.

This data includes detailed firmographic insights into approximately 9 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this exhaustive database, we provide actionable insights for startup scouting, trend discovery, and technology landscaping.

For this report, we focused on the evolution of food safety over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:

  • Total Companies working in the sector
  • News Coverage and Industry Growth
  • Market Maturity and Patents
  • Global Search Volume and Growth
  • Funding Activity and Top Countries
  • Subtrends within food safety

Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.

Additionally, we reviewed trusted external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the food safety market.

What Data is used to create this Food Safety Market Report?

Based on data provided by the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, we observe that the food safety market stands out in the following categories relative to the 20K+ technologies and trends we track.

These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the future direction of the market.

  • News Coverage & Publications: The industry recorded 10K+ publications in the past year. This reflects steady news coverage and visibility across mainstream and industry-specific media outlets.
  • Funding Rounds: Our database captured 2300+ funding rounds, which shows an active investment landscape and continuous capital flow.
  • Manpower: The sector employs more than 1.2 million workers and added 200+ employees last year.
  • Global Search Growth: The industry records a whopping 96.45% growth in global search over the past five years.
  • Patents: The industry registered 15 300+ patents, with over 9800 applicants.

Explore the Data-driven Food Safety Market Report for 2026

Did you know that around 600 million people become sick from contaminated food each year, and about 420 000 lose their lives as a result?

Consequently, the need for reliable testing frameworks is intensifying, shaping the market’s expansion. The global food safety testing market was valued at USD 24.37 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to USD 48.01 billion by 2033, reflecting a CAGR of 7.8% between 2025 and 2033.

 

 

Europe accounted for the largest share of food safety testing revenues in 2024, representing 34.2% of the market.

Our platform data shows 1270+ startups operating within a broader ecosystem of 8400+ companies, reflecting active participation across testing, monitoring, and compliance functions.

Moreover, the industry’s yearly growth rate stands at -0.073%.

Patent activity reached 15 300+ filings with over 9800 applicants, supported by a yearly patent growth rate of 14.64% across multiple technology categories.

China issued 14300+ patents, while the United States issued 340+ patents, reflecting concentrated innovation across major research and production markets.

The workforce includes over 1.2 million employees, and 200+ new roles emerged last year as organizations expanded operational and technical capabilities.

Leading country hubs include the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, while innovation clusters form across London, Dubai, Bangalore, New York City, and Singapore.

A Snapshot of the Global Food Safety Market

The industry shows a yearly growth rate of -0.073%. The ecosystem includes 1270+ startups advancing detection methods, contamination analytics, and compliance solutions within a broader network of established industry participants.

Patent activity includes 15 300+ filings across 9800 applicants, indicating strong technology development within microbial analytics, sensor systems, and inspection automation.

The industry recorded a 14.64% yearly patent growth rate, while China (14300+) and the United States (340+) issued the largest share of patents supporting safety technology innovation.

Explore the Funding Landscape of the Food Safety Market

The food safety investment landscape records an average investment value of USD 85.2 million per round.

The sector includes more than 1900 investors. Their participation reflects a mix of strategic, financial, and industry-focused stakeholders who support contamination detection technologies, compliance platforms, and operational safety solutions.

In addition, more than 2000 funding rounds have closed. This demonstrates steady financial support that enables early-stage innovation, new technology models, and expansion of safety infrastructure. Besides, more than 830 companies received investment.

Who is Investing in the Food Safety Market?

The combined value invested by top investors exceeds USD 5 billion, showing concentrated capital deployment across major food safety innovators.

 

 

Top Food Safety Innovations & Trends

Discover the emerging trends in the food safety market along with their firmographic details:

 

 

  • Food Microbiology includes 260+ companies employing 27.1K workers, with around 8 new employees added last year as laboratories expand microbial testing capacity. The segment shows a -0.095% yearly growth rate as companies transition toward automated detection workflows and integrated analytics tools.
  • Temperature Monitoring includes 2100+ companies employing 96.8K workers, with around 40 new employees added last year, supporting sensor development and monitoring operations. The segment recorded a 1.02% yearly growth rate as temperature tools integrate into broader supply chain systems rather than standalone systems.
  • Mass Spectrometry includes 1700+ companies employing 150K workers, with around 52 new employees added last year as adoption expands across food testing environments. The segment experienced a 1.24% yearly growth rate as companies implement integrated analytical workflows that reduce reliance on independent mass spectrometry equipment.

5 Top Examples from 1270+ Innovative Food Safety Startups

The five innovative food safety startups showcased below are picked based on data, including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.

Sensly develops a SaaS Platform for Food Quality Sensory Tests

Belgian startup Sensly offers a SaaS platform for food quality sensory tests. The app lets users create a sensory test by entering sample details and specifying parameters.

Then, they are able to invite panelists via QR code or access code, have panelists taste and submit their feedback, and finally view immediate results on a dashboard or export data for deeper analysis.

The platform supports multiple test types (such as QDA, triangle, and 2-out-of-5) and handles unlimited tests and responses. It thus provides a streamlined workflow that reduces administrative overhead and accelerates the evaluation cycle.

Telsen designs Food Safety Management Software

UK-based startup Telsen provides a food safety management software that works with IoT sensors and Bluetooth probes to monitor critical food safety parameters.

For example, it records fridge/freezer temperatures, cooking or reheating temperatures, and other hygiene and equipment checks.

The platform also offers digital checklists for tasks like opening/closing, cleaning, maintenance, delivery inspection, and HACCP workflows – all guided and logged through the app.

Moreover, it triggers instant alerts for temperature deviations or other safety breaches, automatically logs corrective actions, and produces audit-ready reports stored with timestamps.

Telsen gives centralized visibility and consistent compliance across single or multiple sites, reduces reliance on paperwork, and ensures reliable documentation for food inspections.

Spore.Bio enables AI-based Microbiology Testing

French startup Spore.Bio makes a handheld photonic scanner that projects ultraviolet-infrared light onto samples and captures their spectral signatures.

Its deep learning models then analyze the signatures to detect and quantify bacteria within minutes.

The technology delivers near-real-time contamination detection on site for quality teams to respond immediately. This way, the startup replaces slow off-site lab testing with fast, traceable microbial detection.

Hypercell Technologies makes a Food Contamination Detection Kit

US-based startup Hypercell Technologies develops a food contamination detection kit, HyperKit. It uses three integrated components to process samples from purification through pathogen identification.

First, HyperPen is a single-use tool that purifies and concentrates diverse sample types in less than three minutes without laboratory extraction equipment.

Then, HyperMix provides lyophilized amplification reagents pre-aliquoted in optical PCR tubes and sealed to protect them from moisture, light, and UV exposure, ensuring stable and precise DNA detection.

Finally, HyperReader is a portable incubator and fluorescence reader that delivers results in about 30 minutes through a web-based interface.

Food Safety Plan Builder builds a Compliance Management Platform

Australian startup Food Safety Plan offers a compliance management platform. It structures the creation of HACCP-aligned food safety programs through guided templates that capture hazards, controls, monitoring steps, and verification activities.

The platform centralizes documentation, stores records, and links each task to regulatory requirements to maintain traceability. It also supports version control, assigns responsibilities, and tracks corrective actions to strengthen operational oversight.

The startup thus enables food businesses to reduce administrative effort and keep food-safety plans audit-ready and aligned with regulatory standards.

Gain Comprehensive Insights into Food Safety Trends, Startups, and Technologies

The food safety industry enters 2026 with steady growth supported by stronger regulatory expectations, expanded testing capacity, and adoption of monitoring technologies across global supply chains.

Patent activity, workforce expansion, and funding participation indicate ongoing development across microbial analytics, automation systems, and compliance tools.

These developments point to a future shaped by greater automation, lower emissions, and more connected delivery ecosystems.

Get in touch to explore 1270+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting food safety companies.