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

The draft rules 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 mild 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 models per gram (cfu/g) has the potential to trigger sickness. Moreover, RTE meals (aside from these supposed for infants and for particular medical functions) are capable of assist the expansion of L. monocytogenes all through their shelf-life, and due to this fact current extra danger.

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

Primarily based on these information, 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 (aside from these supposed for infants and for particular medical functions) which can be capable of 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 coated RTE meals are positioned available on the market throughout their shelf-life and for which the manufacturing meals enterprise operator has not been capable of display, to the satisfaction of the competent authority, that the extent of L. monocytogenes is not going to exceed the restrict of 100 cfu/g all through the meals’s shelf life.