What is Listeria?
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause a serious food infection: listeriosis . Although this infection is relatively rare, it can have serious consequences for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, newborns, people with a weakened immune system and pregnant women. In some cases, the infection can lead to blood poisoning, meningitis or a miscarriage.
What makes Listeria particularly risky is that the bacteria is able to grow at refrigerated temperatures. This means that chilled and ready-to-eat products (RTE: Ready-To-Eat) pose an increased risk, especially if they have a longer shelf life and are consumed directly without heating. Think of soft cheeses, cold cuts, salads and chilled meals.
Why is Listeria control so important?
For producers in the food industry, preventing Listeria contamination is not only a matter of food safety, but also of legal obligation and brand reputation. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) strictly monitors compliance with the standards, including through Infoblad 85 , which sets specific requirements for the control of Listeria monocytogenes in RTE products.
An insufficiently substantiated shelf life or inadequate control of Listeria can lead to recalls, damage to reputation, fines and – in the worst case – health incidents with legal consequences. Especially for companies without their own microbiological lab or internal expertise, it is crucial to have a reliable and practical approach to Listeria control.
Support from the ground up.
Listeria control does not start with the final product, but already in the development of the recipe and production process . It is precisely in this early phase that it is valuable to include microbiological risks, so that products are designed safely from the start – and no expensive adjustments or shelf life justifications are needed later.
Using my own developed modelling tool I can estimate at an early stage whether Listeria monocytogenes could grow in a product based on product composition (such as pH, Aw and preservatives). This saves time, costs and prevents surprises during validation or testing by the NVWA.
