According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1,600 Americans get listeriosis each year, and about 260 of them die. The infection typically is caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.
Many recent outbreaks have been linked to dairy products such as ice cream and soft cheeses, CDC noted. So it’s critical that dairy processors put effective testing methods for Listeria into place.