Once again, the fresh produce industry has been hit with a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak. The latest involves fresh-cut salad items, reportedly produced at a Dole processing plant in Ohio. Food Safety News examines why Listeria continues to confound the food industry’s efforts to prevent its outbreak.
While it is shocking to see a serious outbreak in such a popular brand, Listeria contamination is a troubling problem for most everyone in the food industry, and the fresh-cut, bagged salad industry is highly vulnerable.
The food industry has controls in place to combat Listeriosis, along with other pathogens; yet outbreaks continue to occur, and we must ask the difficult question … why? A look at the disease transmission factors associated with Listeria monocytogenes point out some unique and difficult problems that can confound our controls.
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