Europe's food safety watchdog has issued updated advice on reducing the risk of the food-borne bacteria Listeria, urging food manufacturers to watch out for contamination during packaging, preparation and storage of food.
In an opinion published yesterday, the Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warned that listeria was on the rise, after a general decline in the 1990s. The number of human cases of the disease increased by 8.6 percent in the EU from 1,427 cases in 2005 to 1,583 in 2006, even though the number of large listeriosis outbreaks has declined.
It recommended that both industry and consumers need to focus on risk reduction practices during the handling and preparation of food.
Listeriosis is a rare but potentially lethal food-borne infection which can kill vulnerable people such as the elderly and pregnant women as well as people suffering from immuno-compromising diseases such as cancer or HIV.
Most cases of Listeria are caused by the consumption of ready-to-eat foods which support growth of the bacteria and develop a high concentration of Listeria along the food chain, said the panel report.
Surveys have revealed associations with food packaging type, preparation practices such as the use of slicing machines for meat products, storage temperatures, the stage of sampling with respect to shelf life, the lack of an effective HACCP system, and lack of education and training of food handlers.
Read the full FoodProductionDaily.com story here.