The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting in Microbial Risk Assessment (JERMA) convened in response to a Codex Alimentarius Committee request to develop microbiological risk assessment models for Listeria monocytogenes, and to provide recommendations to inform possible future revisions to Codex guidelines on hygienic controls for L. monocytogenes.
A recent case study from the Sapienza University of Rome examined the surveillance of foodborne pathogens through a One Health lens in Europe, with a specific focus on the One Health European Joint Program (OHEJP) MATRIX Project framework.
A multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections associated with meat and cheese from deli counters has resulted in 13 hospitalizations, one death, and one miscarriage. The foodborne illness outbreak is under investigation.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently published two reports—one on control measures for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in meat and dairy products, and another reviewing Listeria monocytogenes attribution, characterization, and monitoring in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods.
The meat and poultry industries are an interesting mix of conservative practices and innovation. This article examines five topics and their implications to protein food, including meat safety as a model for the produce industry; increased interest in Salmonella and Listeria; USDA proposed rulemaking for meat and poultry; the move toward aggregated sampling; and developing safety needs for tissue-cultivated products.
A recent study has estimated that removing products with a concentration of Listeria monocytogenes higher than 1 CFU/g could greatly reduce food contamination and associated foodborne illness cases. The study also found ready-to-eat (RTE) foods to be of greatest concern.
An ongoing study funded by the Center for Produce Safety is examining the survival of Salmonella and Listeriamonocytogenes on surfaces in dry food packaging facilities, as well as the efficacy of dry cleaning processes on pathogen reduction. The first of three phases has concluded.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced two new food safety prevention strategies intended to help prevent outbreaks of foodborne salmonellosis and listeriosis associated with imported enoki and wood ear mushrooms, and salmonellosis associated with bulb onions.
The LmRNA project will explore the genetic and physiological responses of Listeria monocytogenes biofilms to dairy environment conditions to support the development of improved strategies for preventing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analyses have revealed pervasive Listeria monocytogenes strains to be an issue throughout the Norwegian food system, and researchers hypothesize that genetics may factor into which strains survive and spread in food production environments.
