Background information
In response to the request from Codex for scientific advice, FAO and WHO has undertaken the risk assessment on Listeria monocytogenes in several foods since 1999. Risk assessments, previously developed at the national level, were adapted or expanded to address concerns in RTE foods at an international level. To support this work, the 2004 FAO/WHO risk assessment on Listeria monocytogenes provided scientific insight into the risk characterization of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in food and the seriousness of listeriosis for susceptible populations. The technical report was limited to a cross-section of RTE foods; pasteurized milk, ice cream, cold-smoked fish and fermented meats, and the likelihood of these products as vehicles for human foodborne listeriosis.
Since then, outbreaks of listeriosis continue to occur across the globe, associated with previously reported and many previously unreported food vehicles, including fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables, sprouts, RTE meat products and frozen dairy products. Of particular importance, an outbreak in South Africa, in 2017, linked to RTE meat products caused 1,064 illnesses and 218 deaths (as of August 2018). This is the largest and deadliest outbreak of listeriosis recorded to date. New tools are also available to characterize isolates of Listeria monocytogenes. With these new developments in diagnostics and changes in the epidemiology of listeriosis outbreaks, the FAO/WHO JEMRA is undertaking new work on Listeria monocytogenes in RTE foods. New research findings and data representing the different food commodities and geographical regions will provide opportunities to validate the current risk assessment models for Listeria monocytogenes, assess their application to other food commodities and develop new management approaches to control Listeria monocytogenes.