3M Food Safety Innovation Earns Edison Award

St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M’s Petrifilm Rapid E. coli/Coliform Count Plate has been recognized with a Gold Edison Award in the Lab Advancements category. The innovation award was presented to the company as part of the 2019 Edison Awards gala event April 4 in New York City.

Designated for Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), whose inventions and product development methods changed the world and made him a household name, the Edison Awards have been honoring innovative new products and services for more than 30 years. They are judged by a panel of more than 3,000 leading business executives consisting of past award winners, academics and leaders in the fields of product development, design, engineering, science and medicine.

The 3M Petrifilm Rapid E. coli/Coliform Count Plate, the newest in a line of 3M Petrifilm innovations to have been steadily introduced over a 35-year span, is a two-in-one indicator test that gives food safety professionals distinguishable microbiological counts for E. coli as well as for other coliform bacteria within an 18- to 24-hour period. The test eliminates subsequent confirmation steps required by traditional tests, thereby boosting productivity, cutting overall lab costs and enabling products to be released with confidence faster.  

The honor marks the third time a 3M Petrifilm Plate product has received an Edison Award. Past winners include the 3M Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate (2015), and 3M Petrifilm Salmonella Express System (2014).

“It’s an honor for the company to receive this award, as it embodies our goal to develop lasting and sustainable solutions that aid and protect customers globally and help ensure a safe, high-quality food supply,” said Adriana Robayo Nin~o, 3M Food Safety global marketing manager. For more information, visit http://www.3M.com/RapidEcoli.