A recent review published in Foods examines the history of foodborne illness outbreaks caused by Listeria monocytogenes in the UK, as well as the challenges related to the pathogen that food manufacturers must face, to determine potential avenues for future research, surveillance, and public health strategies. The authors note room for improvement in the UK’s L. monocytogenes monitoring systems and industry’s sanitization and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) strategies. The authors also recommend a bilateral approach to understanding L. monocytogenes’ role in the UK food system.
According to the review, there were 142 recorded cases of listeriosis in England and Wales during 2019. Of these cases, 17.6 percent were related to pregnant individuals, of which 63 percent resulted in stillbirths or miscarriages. Additionally, the mortality rate for listeriosis cases that were not related to pregnant individuals was 19.7 percent. All published investigations for listeriosis outbreaks in England and Wales in 2017–2019 were linked to food or a food environment.