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Scientists at Europe’s food safety watchdog have updated their advice on the risks of listeria in foods; the bacteria is the cause of food related disease currently on the increase.

According to the EFSA-ECDC annual report on animal infections transmissible to humans, the number of human listeriosis cases was up by 8.6 % in the EU from 1,427 cases in 2005 to 1,583 in 2006. Nonetheless, the number of large listeriosis outbreaks (i.e. more than 50 cases) have declined since the late 1990s and now the large majority of cases are sporadic.

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 also advised that in order to improve risk assesments listeriosis cases should be monitored and investigated more thoroughly. It was also suggested that data on the consumption of RTE foods should be generated and analysed.

The report concluded, that the European Union’s maximum safety tolerance levels for Listeria have lead to very low numbers of listeriosis cases in humans. This is due to most listeriosis cases being caused by the consumption of RTE foods which support growth of Listeria.

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 as well as training of food handlers.

Listeriosis is a rare but potentially lethal food related infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes which has a high mortality rate. Elderly people and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to listeriosis as are people suffering from immuno-compromising diseases such as cancer or HIV. An increase in the number of listeriosis cases in humans has been observed in several EU countries since 2000, notably in persons over 60 years old.

The work by the BIOHAZ panel follows a request by the European Commission to EFSA to update the scientific review of literature on listeriosis related to RTE foods and provide scientific advice on different levels of Listeria in RTE foods and the related risk to human health.