This episode of Food Safety Five discusses a farm-to-fork quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) for Listeria monocytogenes in cantaloupe, a study demonstrating the efficacy of antimicrobial peptides for reducing Salmonella in poultry, and the adoption of new international standards at the 48th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
This episode of Food Safety Five discusses research on Listeria biofilms, including sanitizer efficacy and evolutionary insights, and on a persisting Escherichia coli strain in leafy greens. It also covers regulatory developments in the UK, Canada, and the UAE, as well as a potential U.S. ultra-processed foods (UPFs) definition.
FDA recently released a warning letter dated September 5, 2025, issued to Fresh and Ready Foods LLC, a ready-to-eat (RTE) foods producer that was implicated in a multi-state, multi-year listeriosis outbreak.
Researchers have developed a new, farm-to-fork quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model to evaluate the risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in fresh-cut cantaloupe.
Wageningen University researchers conducted an experimental evolutionary study to explore the genetic and phenotypic mechanisms that drive the enhanced biofilm formation ability of evolved L. monocytogenes strains, identifying the overexpression of a certain protein as a key contributor.
This episode of Food Safety Five discusses hoses as reservoirs for biofilms in food processing facilities, the presence of Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter on retail beef and chicken, a new Salmonella serovar database, and microplastics release from food contact materials.
The deadly multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to prepared pasta meals involving Nate’s Fine Foods, Freshrealm Inc., and California Ranch Food Company has grown, with seven new illnesses and two additional deaths.
A recent study sought to better understand the ability of Listeria monocytogenes biofilms on stainless steel surfaces to withstand common industry sanitizers, chlorine and PAA, using strains and temperature conditions relevant to the fresh leafy greens supply chain.
A recent study investigating Listeria monocytogenes in South Korea’s beef supply chain revealed the presence of the pathogen exclusively in retail product samples, underscoring the importance of strict food safety controls post-harvest. The strains isolated were hypervirulent and stress-adapted.
Since June, FreshRealm has been involved in an ongoing, deadly foodborne illness outbreak, as the producer of prepared pasta meals that were made with Listeria monocytogenes-tainted pasta (supplied by Nate’s Fine Foods Inc.) and distributed nationwide under various brand names. Now, FreshRealm has alerted USDA that it detected L. monocytogenes in spinach used to make meals distributed by HelloFresh.
