In an effort to align EU guidelines with Codex Alimentarius requirements, the European Fee (EC) has proposed amendments to its laws for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) meals. If adopted, the brand new laws would go into impact after January 1, 2026. The draft act is open for public remark till Might 8, 2024.

The draft laws would amend Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005, which units forth the factors for sure microbial contaminants in meals and implements hygiene necessities for meals producers. In gentle of the truth that that the variety of human listeriosis instances within the EU rose by 15.9 % from 2021 to 2022, and since 2022 noticed one of many highest fatality charges related to foodborne listeriosis, EU regulators decided it essential to replace the meals security standards for L. monocytogenes to guard public well being.

The accessible scientific literature means that consumption of meals containing L. monocytogenes in concentrations exceeding 100 colony forming items per gram (cfu/g) has the potential to trigger sickness. Moreover, RTE meals (apart from these meant for infants and for particular medical functions) are in a position to assist the expansion of L. monocytogenes all through their shelf-life, and subsequently current further danger.

At current, Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 states that, aside from meals meant for infants and particular medical functions, L. monocytogenes can’t be detected in 25 g of RTE meals (which can be in a position to assist pathogen progress over time to ultimately exceed 100 cfu/g) earlier than such merchandise depart the manufacturing facility. Nevertheless, Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 doesn’t present that the identical criterion applies to those meals as soon as they’ve left the fast management of the manufacturing meals enterprise operator.

Based mostly on these info, EC is proposing amendments to Annex I of Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 to ensure the identical degree of public well being safety from manufacturing to distribution for RTE meals (apart from these meant for infants and for particular medical functions) which can be in a position to assist the expansion of L. monocytogenes. The proposed amendments would apply the criterion “L. monocytogenes not detected in 25 g” to all conditions the place lined RTE meals are positioned available on the market throughout their shelf-life and for which the manufacturing meals enterprise operator has not been in a position to show, to the satisfaction of the competent authority, that the extent of L. monocytogenes won’t exceed the restrict of 100 cfu/g all through the meals’s shelf life.