New Listeria legislation for ready to eat foods: Are you ready?
Linda Everis, Section Lead for Microbiology Safety and Spoilage, outlines what the new change which comes into force in 2026, will mean for food business operators.
A fast-approaching legislation change will require Listeria monocytogenes to not be detected in 25 grams of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods throughout their shelf-life, unless a food business operator can demonstrate that the level will not exceed 100 CFU/g.
The tightening of regulations around Listeria monocytogenes in RTE foods, as a result of the forthcoming amend to the EU Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, is in response to:
- The growth of Listeriosis cases in the EU and a significant number of outbreaks and fatalities
- A drive to provide higher levels of consumer protection – particularly for vulnerable groups including infants and those with weakened immune systems
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