Food Protection Trends - September/October 2022 - 385

TABLE 1. Cases of listeriosis in the EU from 2009 to 2019
Year
No. of cases
Confirmed cases/100,000
2019
2,621
0.46
2018
2,545
0.47
2017
2,475
0.48
2016
2,500
0.47
pathogen in the finished product for sale to the final consumer.
This may be a " zero tolerance " approach or a defined limit,
usually expressed as CFU per gram of the foodstuff.
In Europe, there are no defined regulations on practical
Listeria control plans, but all food business operators must
establish food safety plans based on HACCP principles (1).
There is a zero tolerance for L. monocytogenes (defined as
absence in 25 g) for RTE foods intended for infants, or for
special medical purposes, at any time in their shelf lives. For
RTE foodstuffs able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes
throughout their shelf lives there is zero tolerance at the point
of manufacture and a tolerance of 100 CFU/g at the point of
consumption. For RTE foodstuffs unable to support the growth
of L. monocytogenes throughout their shelf lives, there is a
tolerance of 100 CFU/g at all points during their shelf lives (2).
EC 2073/2005 (2) also mandates that food business
operators must undertake, particularly for RTE foods,
microbiological sampling of their processing areas and
equipment and of their finished products throughout their
shelf lives, for L. monocytogenes. In Europe, a dedicated
Listeria control plan may be useful in helping meet the
2015
2,183
0.43
2014
2,242
0.47
2013
1,883
0.45
2012
1,720
0.42
2011
1,516
0.36
2010
1,643
0.37
2009
1,675
0.36
legislated requirements for L. monocytogenes sampling. In
other regions of the world, sampling of the finished product
and the processing environment for L. monocytogenes may not
be legislated, and alternative measures, such as the sampling
for indicator organisms or Listeria spp., as part of good
manufacturing practices (GMPs), may be favored. As such,
a Listeria control plan may have different areas of focus for
different world regions, dependent on local legislation.
LISTERIA CONTROL PLAN
A Listeria 5-point control plan has been developed by the
author and trialed in RTE food factories in the UK and Ireland
since 2016 (Fig. 1). The plan seeks to prevent recontamination
of RTE food products, after decontamination treatment, by
managing the occurrence of Listeria in the high hygiene food
manufacturing area and comprises the following five points.
* Point 1: Prevent day-to-day entry of Listeria into high
hygiene food manufacturing areas using effective barriers.
Barriers should be established to control the entry of
Listeria at high hygiene area entrances and exits from
carriage on or within items such as product, ingredients,
packaging materials, manufacturing utensils and transport
systems, waste products, people, the air, cleaning
chemicals and equipment, and maintenance equipment
* Point 2: Ensure that the high hygiene manufacturing
infrastructure (building structure, equipment, and
utensils) cannot harbor and/or allow the growth of
Listeria (Listeria sources). Harborage is exacerbated
by damage to environmental surfaces and structures,
the availability of water for microbial growth, and poor
hygienic design or inaccessibility for cleaning of food
production equipment.
* Point 3: Ensure that high hygiene production and GMPs
limit the cross-contamination vectors (Listeria vectors)
that can carry Listeria from sources to product or productcontact
surfaces. Cross-contamination is exacerbated
when, e.g., product, ingredient, packaging, transport,
people, and waste flows cross over; when space for
operations is limited; when the process or interim cleans
use too much water; and when there is no demarcation of
operative responsibilities, e.g., production, housekeeping,
waste removal, product quality control.
Figure 1. Schematic Listeria 5-point control plan.
* Point 4: Design an effective cleaning and disinfection
program that will kill or remove any Listeria that has
September/October Food Protection Trends 385
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2022

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