UK National Reference Laboratory for food microbiology
Source: gov.uk (2025-06-23)

Guidance and responsibilities of the UK's National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for food microbiology.

The UK’s National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for food microbiology is responsible for official controls on specific areas of food microbiology:
- Listeria monocytogenes
- coagulase positive staphylococci
- Escherichia coli (including STEC)
- campylobacter
- salmonella
- antimicrobial resistance
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) awarded the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) these responsibilities for performing official controls to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules. This is described in Article 101 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/625 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02017R0625-20211028), which is now the assimilated EU legislation in the UK, UK Statutory Instrument 2019 number 665.

When implementing and using ISO Standards, there is some supporting information to help food laboratories (https://committee.iso.org/sites/tc34sc9/home/essential-information.html), including news and method validation and verification presentations.

Expert witness information

Local authorities and port health authorities ask staff in official laboratories (OLs) to provide witness of fact statements, advice to prepare material for prosecutions, and requests for suitable expert witnesses. The UK NRL can provide advice and practical support.

Contact

National Reference Laboratory

Food, Water and Environmental Microbiology Services UK Health Security Agency 61 Colindale AvenueLondonNW9 5EQ

Email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Telephone xx-xxxx-xxxx

Standard methods and public health guidance

Below is a list of procedures for the laboratory examination of all food types and environmental samples that the NRL can provide to other laboratories. Please contact us using the details above to request the procedures and this will ensure the most current version is made available.

Performance monitoring of the Official Laboratories are conducted by the NRL using the European Microbiology Legislation Scheme proficiency test. Where results do not match with the intended, a monitoring protocol has been drafted by the NRL to support Official Laboratories with advice of any remedial actions to take.

The standard methods and public health guidance available include:
- determination of pH in food and water samples (FNES63.04)
- determination of water activity in food (FNES67.05)
- enumeration of coagulase-positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) (FNES8.08)
- preparation of samples and dilutions, plating and sub-culture (FNES26.06)
- enumeration of β-glucuronidase positive E.coli: pour plate method (FNES3.08)
- detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species (FNES22.07)
- enumeration of β-glucuronidase positive E.coli: most probable number technique (FNES131.02)
- detection of Salmonella species (FNES16.10)
- detection and enumeration of Campylobacter species (FNES15.07)
- detection and enumeration of bacteria in swabs and other environmental samples (FNES4.07)
- guidance on public health response: involvement of UKHSA Food Water and Environmental Microbiology Laboratory staff in the investigation of outbreaks of food or waterborne disease (FNES18.06)
- verification and validation of methods (FNES61.02)
- measurement uncertainty in testing (FNES66.04)
- detection and isolation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (FNES144.04)
- preparation of positive control DNA for use in real-time PCR assays for foodborne pathogens (FNES45.04)
- FEPTU/NRL EFL Scheme – Monitoring performance protocol (FNRLW1.01)
Reports and audits

National reference laboratory for food microbiology: annual report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-reference-laboratory-for-food-microbiology-annual-report)

Audit of official laboratories (OLs) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/audit-of-official-control-laboratories-ocls-2013)

Previous NRL guidance (https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20231110140429/https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-national-reference-laboratory-for-food-microbiology) can be found on the National Archives website.