Industrial Hygiene Testing for Food & Beverage Manufacturing
Legionella, mold, indoor air quality, lead, and asbestos testing built around plant shutdown windows and food-safety audit schedules — AIHA-LAP accredited, nationwide sample ship-in, results your EHS team can hand straight to auditors.
Shutdown-window scheduling
Sampling planned around your plant's shutdown, changeover, or off-shift windows so testing never delays restart.
Audit-ready reporting
AIHA-LAP accredited results formatted so your EHS or food-safety team can attach them directly to SQF, BRC, or GFSI audit documentation.
One lab, every sample type
Legionella, mold, IAQ, lead, and asbestos all run through the same Houston lab with one chain of custody and one point of contact.
Built around plant schedules, not the other way around
Food and beverage manufacturing plants run on tight production and food-safety schedules. Legionella risk builds in cooling towers and process water, mold follows humidity and washdown cycles, and legacy asbestos-containing materials surface during equipment upgrades in older facilities. We work around your shutdown and changeover windows so environmental testing supports your audit calendar instead of competing with your production line.
- Cooling tower & process water Legionella monitoring
- Mold & moisture assessments in processing and cold storage areas
- Pre-renovation and pre-installation asbestos surveys
- Documentation formatted for SQF, BRC & GFSI audit packages
What We Test For
Legionella Testing
Cooling towers, evaporative condensers & process water sampled and cultured per CDC/ASHRAE 188.
Mold Testing
Air & surface sampling in high-humidity processing, washdown & cold storage areas.
Indoor Air Quality Testing
VOCs, particulates, CO2 & ventilation performance across production & packaging floors.
Asbestos Testing
Bulk sampling of insulation, gaskets & floor tile ahead of equipment installs or renovation.
Asbestos Clearance Testing
Final air clearance after abatement so production areas can safely reopen.
Lead Testing
Lead-based paint & surface dust testing in pre-1978 plant buildings undergoing renovation.
Common Testing Scenarios
| Scenario | Typical Trigger | Testing Involved | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-startup facility survey | New line install or plant acquisition | Asbestos survey, lead paint testing | Standard or rush |
| Cooling tower monitoring | Water management program, ASHRAE 188 | Legionella culture testing | Standard, routine intervals |
| Processing area mold complaint | Visible growth, musty odor, humidity issue | Mold air & surface sampling | 1–3 day rush |
| Packaging floor IAQ complaint | Employee complaints, ventilation concerns | Indoor air quality testing | Standard or rush |
| Equipment upgrade or line change | Renovation disturbing legacy materials | Asbestos survey & clearance | Scheduled around shutdown |
| SQF/BRC/GFSI audit prep | Upcoming certification or surveillance audit | IAQ, Legionella & mold documentation | Scheduled ahead of audit date |
Compliance & Clearance Criteria
| Program | Governing Standard | Criteria | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legionella (cooling towers & process water) | CDC / ASHRAE 188 | Culture results support water management program | Lab report with CFU/mL results |
| Mold (processing & storage areas) | ACAC / IICRC S520 | Indoor spore counts & species vs. outdoor baseline | Comparative lab report |
| Asbestos (final air clearance) | AHERA / OSHA | < 0.01 fibers/cc post-abatement | PCM/TEM clearance report |
| Lead-based paint | EPA / HUD | Action levels for renovation & disturbance | XRF or lab paint-chip report |
| Indoor air quality | ASHRAE / OSHA PELs | VOC, particulate & CO2 benchmarks | IAQ summary report |
Criteria vary by facility type, applicable food-safety scheme, and jurisdiction. Confirm program-specific requirements with your EHS or food-safety lead.
Turnaround & Kit Logistics
Typical 3–5 business day lab turnaround.
Faster results ahead of a scheduled shutdown.
Compressed timeline for changeover windows.
Priority processing for tight audit deadlines.
Fastest turnaround available for urgent shutdown or audit needs.
Nationwide Sampling Kits
We ship pre-labeled sampling kits with prepaid return shipping to plants anywhere in the U.S., so your team or consultant can collect samples without an on-site lab visit.
Can your team collect samples on-site instead of shipping a kit?
Yes, for Houston-area and regional Texas/Arkansas facilities we can send a technician on-site. For plants elsewhere, our ship-in kits let your own staff or a local consultant collect samples using the same accredited chain of custody.
Who Relies on Us
Food & Beverage Manufacturers
Plants scheduling routine environmental monitoring and shutdown-window testing.
Plant & Facility Engineers
Teams managing cooling towers, HVAC, and building systems tied to Legionella and IAQ risk.
EHS & Food Safety Managers
Staff building documentation for SQF, BRC, and GFSI-recognized audit programs.
Cold Storage & Warehouse Operators
Facilities monitoring humidity-driven mold risk in storage and distribution areas.
General Contractors on Plant Renovations
Crews needing asbestos surveys and clearance before disturbing legacy materials.
Environmental Consultants Serving Food Processing
Consultants who need a fast, accredited lab partner nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you test for Legionella in cooling towers and process water at food and beverage plants?
Yes. Cooling towers, evaporative condensers, and process water systems are common Legionella risk points in food and beverage facilities. We sample and culture per CDC/ASHRAE 188 guidance and provide results your EHS team can use for a water management program.
Can you perform asbestos surveys before equipment installation or renovation?
Yes. Many food and beverage plants were built before 1980 and have legacy asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, or floor tile. We survey affected areas ahead of equipment installs, line changes, or renovation work and issue a report your contractor can use for abatement planning.
How does mold testing work in high-humidity processing areas?
We collect air and/or surface samples in processing, washdown, and cold storage areas where condensation and humidity drive mold growth, and compare indoor spore counts and species to outdoor baseline samples following ACAC/IICRC S520 protocols.
Do you support SQF, BRC, or GFSI facility audits with environmental testing?
We provide third-party accredited air, water, and surface testing data that plants use to document environmental monitoring programs as part of SQF, BRC, and other GFSI-recognized audits. We are not a certifying body, but our AIHA-LAP accredited results are accepted as supporting documentation.
What is your rush turnaround during a plant shutdown or changeover window?
Standard turnaround is included at no extra cost. We offer 4-day (+25%), 3-day (+50%), 2-day (+75%), and 1-day (+100%) rush options so sampling completed during a shutdown or changeover window doesn't hold up your restart schedule.
Do you serve food and beverage manufacturing plants nationwide?
Yes. Our AIHA-LAP accredited lab is based in Houston and we ship sampling kits nationwide with prepaid return labels, so plants anywhere in the U.S. can use the same accredited lab and chain of custody.
Ready to schedule testing around your plant's shutdown window?
Get a quote today and we'll help you plan sampling around your production and audit calendar.