Development of standard methods with special reference to Europe

For a long time, many different microbiological methods were used around the world in order to enumerate or detect contaminants in foods. The development of commercial, but also scientific and technical exchanges between countries has stimulated new developments and a desire to harmonize methods. The example of AFNOR (French Association for Standardization) is first presented. Then, the new developments under CEN (European Committee for Standardization) are described, emphasizing a Measurements and Testing project. The MicroVal project, now integrated as a task force within CEN Technical Committee 275/Working Group 6 is described. Finally, the possibility of working towards an international consensus through the Codex Alimentarius is discussed.