oSIST prEN 18299:2026

prEN 18299:2026 is a draft European Standard from CEN for soil improvers and growing media. It specifies which methods to use for the detection of Salmonella spp. and the enumeration of Escherichia coli and enterococci, but it points to other standards rather than giving the test methods in full.

It is intended for product testing and compliance work on soil improvers, growing media, and certain fertilising product blends. In practice, it tells users which sampling, sample preparation, and microbiological method documents to apply.

What does prEN 18299:2026 specify?

prEN 18299:2026 defines the method references for microbiological checking of soil improvers and growing media. Its scope also covers some fertilising product blends, provided soil improvers and/or growing media are the main components by mass, volume, or dry mass in liquid products.

If the blend is dominated by another fertilising product category, the standard for that dominant component applies instead. If a blend contains equal quantities, the user chooses which standard to apply.

The document is organized into a short chain of clauses: scope, normative references, terms and definitions, sampling and sample preparation, and detection and enumeration. That structure matters because the standard works as a routing document to the right sampling and test standards.

What are the key requirements of prEN 18299:2026?

prEN 18299:2026 is built around one practical rule: use the right companion standards for sampling, preparation, and microbiological analysis. For a laboratory or compliance team, the key task is not to develop a method from this document, but to apply the correct referenced documents in sequence.

Sampling and sample preparation

• Sampling shall follow EN 12579:2024. This matters because the result depends on taking a representative sample of the product.
• Sample preparation shall follow prEN 13040-2:2025. This matters because microbiological testing needs a prepared test portion that matches the later detection or enumeration step.

Detection and enumeration

• Detection of Salmonella spp. shall follow prEN 18278:2026. This tells the user where to find the actual detection procedure.
• Enumeration of Escherichia coli shall follow prEN 18280:2026. This is the counting method used when a result is needed as an enumeration.
• Enumeration of enterococci shall follow prEN 18279:2026. This gives the matching counting method for enterococci.

Product coverage and selection

• The standard applies to soil improvers and growing media, and to certain blends that are mainly made up of those products. This matters for buyers and formulators because the product composition decides whether this is the right standard.
• If the product mix is not dominated by soil improvers or growing media, the standard for the dominant component applies instead. That helps avoid using the wrong compliance route.

EU legal link

• Annex ZA links the standard to Regulation (EU) 2019/1009. In practice, that annex is the bridge used when the document is applied to EU fertilising products and conformity claims.

What terms does prEN 18299:2026 define?

prEN 18299:2026 uses the terms and definitions from prEN 17732:2025. The key terms in this document are:

• Soil improver - a product category used for improving soil conditions; in this document it is one of the main product types covered.
• Growing medium - a product category used as a support for plant growth; it is the other main product type covered.
• Blend - a mix of two or more fertilising products; the standard uses this term to decide whether it applies.
• Salmonella spp. - the bacterial group for which detection is required.
• Escherichia coli - the organism that is enumerated to assess product microbiological quality.
• Enterococci - the bacterial group that is enumerated alongside Escherichia coli.
• PFC - product function category; the introduction identifies soil improvers as PFC 3 and growing media as PFC 4.

Who uses prEN 18299:2026?

prEN 18299:2026 is used by laboratories that test soil improvers, growing media, and fertilising product blends for microbiological indicators. It is also used by manufacturers and formulators who need to choose the correct compliance route for their products.

Quality managers, regulatory teams, and buyers use it to confirm which companion standards apply to a given product category. That matters when a product is a blend, because the composition decides whether this standard is the right one to follow.

Which standards are used with prEN 18299:2026?

prEN 18299:2026 relies on these companion documents:

• prEN 17732:2025 - provides the terminology and definitions.
• EN 12579:2024 - gives the sampling procedure.
• prEN 13040-2:2025 - gives sample preparation for microbiological examination.
• prEN 18278:2026 - gives the detection method for Salmonella spp.
• prEN 18280:2026 - gives the enumeration method for Escherichia coli.
• prEN 18279:2026 - gives the enumeration method for enterococci.

What does the prEN 18299:2026 document contain?

The document contains a brief main text and an informative Annex ZA. Its clauses cover scope, normative references, terms and definitions, sampling and sample preparation, and the references for detection and enumeration. The annex provides the link to Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 and shows which clauses support the relevant EU fertilising product requirements.

In practical use, the document acts as a map to the actual test standards rather than a full laboratory method. That makes it useful for conformity assessment, product specification, and internal quality control where the correct chain of sampling, preparation, and analysis has to be selected.