ISO 6579-1:2017 specifies a horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella. It is applicable to the following:

- products intended for human consumption and the feeding of animals;

- environmental samples in the area of food production and food handling;

- samples from the primary production stage such as animal faeces, dust, and swabs.

With this horizontal method, most of the Salmonella serovars are intended to be detected. For the detection of some specific serovars, additional culture steps may be needed. For Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi, the procedure is described in Annex D.

The selective enrichment medium modified semi-solid Rappaport-Vassiliadis (MSRV) agar is intended for the detection of motile Salmonella and is not appropriate for the detection of non-motile Salmonella strains.