3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Swab Testing

One swab, multiple tests

Environmental swabbing is a crucial microbiological process used to test food preparation surfaces, equipment, and utensils for the presence of pathogens. At Hill Labs, we continually adapt and expand our services to meet the growing demand for sustainable solutions.

Our latest innovation helps clients streamline their environmental monitoring programs by utilising both Tempo and PCR technology to test up to four organisms, using just one swab. This advancement not only saves time and effort but also reduces the use of single-use plastics, supporting both operational efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Our 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Swab Testing:

  • simplifies sampling
  • increases efficiency 
  • reduces waste
  • is extensively validated

The 3-in-1 includes: Enterobacteriaceae enumeration, Salmonella detection and Cronobacter detection.

The 4-in-1 includes: Enterobacteriaceae enumeration, Listeria species detection, L. monocytogenes detection and Salmonella detection.

Read more about our multiswab testing here.

Latest Stories

Announcement: Hill Labs Broadens Food and Water Services with Acquisitions

We are pleased to announce that at the end of this month, a series of acquisitions will take place on the same day. Firstly, a new company jointly owned by Hill Labs and Sam Brooks will acquire the Canterbury-based sister companies ‘Food and Health Standards’ (FHS) and ‘Auditing Solutions’ (AS) from Ian and Gail Shaw. FHS and AS provide Environmental Health Officer services, food safety auditing services, and municipal water sample collection services to a range of customers within and beyond Canterbury. Secondly, the water operations within FHS, led by Lisa Shaw, will be carved out and moved into Hill Labs, while maintaining a close relationship with FHS.
  17 Feb 2025

Hill News February 2025 - Update From Our MD, Dr Jonno Hill

This, our first Hill News for 2025, has a couple of headline articles that I want to highlight. The first relates to a series of acquisitions that will be completed essentially simultaneously at the end of this month. There is some complexity in the deals that we are doing, but essentially there will be two main outcomes – increased capability within Hill Labs, and a partnership we will be entering into via a separate company.
  13 Feb 2025

Reflections from the NZSSS Conference

The New Zealand Soil Science Society conference was held in Rotorua in December 2024 and Erin McIlmurray, our Market Sector Manager - Agriculture, attended for the first time. She took away some new learnings and discovered some valuable insights.
  13 Feb 2025

What our customers have to say

"We've always found them to be responsive in getting results back and giving advice on problems we might be facing."

Andrew Hutchinson, Technical Manager, Turners & Growers

"We strongly recommend Hill Labs as a sound testing service provider to the honey industry."

Nick Walker, Technical Manager, Egmont Honey

"Their sample registration system has made things simple and seamless - collect, scan and send!"

Mathew Bannister, Compliance Manager, First Fresh New Zealand

Accreditations

As a New Zealand accredited laboratory by International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ), Hill Labs' commitment to quality is tantamount to our overall operating philosophy. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work.