The European Union will change regulations on listeria in ready-to-eat products

After 2022, in which the number of listeriosis cases in the European Union increased by 16%, and mortality fr om this disease reached a historic maximum, the regulatory authorities of the European Union considered it necessary to update the criteria for food safety.

It is noted that the risk of listeriosis occurs when eating foods wh ere listeria is contained in an amount of 100 CFU/g (colony-forming units per gram). RTE products pose an additional risk because they do not require heat treatment.

Currently, regulation No. 2073/2005 states that there should be no listeria in detectable amounts per 25 g of the product; it is believed that with such a low concentration, listeria will not have time to multiply to a dangerous concentration during the shelf life of the product.

Now this requirement applies only to manufacturers, but they want to extend it to products stored in warehouses and in stores, because the shelf life does not begin from the moment when the product reaches the consumer, but from the moment of production.

Amendments to the standard are open for discussion until May 8, 2024 and will enter into force on January 1, 2026.