EFSA Updates EU Scientific Advice on Listeria Risk in Ready-To-Eat Foods
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
(American Meat Institute)Scientists at Europe’s food safety agency have
updated advice on the risks in foods from
Listeria.
In an opinion
published today, the Scientific Panel on
Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) of the European
Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends that
efforts to reduce risks to human health should
focus on risk reduction practices both during
the production process of ready-to-eat foods
(RTE) and at home by
consumers.
The Panel recommended
that to better assess the risk of the foods
responsible for Listeria it was
necessary to investigate Listeria
cases more thoroughly and generate and
analyze data on the consumption in the EU of
ready-to-eat foods in which Listeria
can be found.
Different approaches
are taken by public authorities across the
world in monitoring the levels of
Listeria. In the European Union, there
are maximum safety tolerance levels for
Listeria in food products.
The Panel concluded that keeping
to these limits leads to very low numbers of
Listeria cases in humans as most
Listeria cases are due to the
consumption of ready-to-eat foods which support
growth of Listeria and develop a high
concentration of Listeria along the
food chain.
In its advice to
industry, the Panel identified the following as
key areas for attention: food packaging and
preparation practices in the food chain (such
as the slicing of RTE meat products), storage
temperatures, general industrial good hygiene
practices and the education and training of
food handlers.
The Panel also
advised that consumers should continue to
observe recommended storage temperatures and
keep food appropriately chilled at all times,
and take note of the shelf-life of food in
their refrigerators. Good food hygiene and
preparation principles also play an important
role in the prevention of Listeria and
other food-borne infections.
The
full text of the opinion is available on the
EFSA Web site at: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1178680093176.htm
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