Is 6.7 x 10 power 3 good or bad? What is an acceptable level?

The value 6.7 x 10 power 3 (or 6,700 in long-hand) may be good or bad depending on what test the result belongs to, and what type of food it was on.

For instance, if we look at Aerobic Colony Counts, most foods have a natural level of bacteria present which can range from less than 10 per gram to a million per gram of the food. In a well cooked food a "good" count should be low, less than 1,000/gm, so a count of 6,700 would be a bit high. However if the food tested was on a raw product such as minced meat then 6,700 would be a low result for that product.

Cooked items tend to have low counts but items such as salads, foods containing cheese or yoghurt, and sandwiches can easily have an ACC count up to about 105(100,000) or more. This also depends on their age, whether the count is on a freshly made item or later in its shelf life.

If the 6,700 result is a coliform or Enterobacteriaceae count it is quite high and may indicate a hygiene failure.

If that result is on E. coli, Bacillus cereus or Staph aureus, then it is definitely high and would indicate a problem.