Study into the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in certain ready-to-eat foods
Through Decision 2010/678/EU, of 5 November 2010, an EU financial contribution was established for a coordinated monitoring programme on the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in certain ready-to-eat foods, to be carried out in the Member States.
Organisation of the study in Spain
In accordance with the Decision, Spain was required to take a total of 800 samples of a series of foods. These were to be collected in 2010 and 2011 from retail establishments distributed between the country’s eight most populated cities.
AECOSAN prepared both the technical instructions and the sampling plan and forwarded these to the participating cities and coordinated the collection and the submission of samples from those cities to the National Food Centre (CNA) for subsequent analysis.
Categories of foods
The ready-to-eat foods were split into the following categories:
- packaged (not frozen) smoked or gravad fish
- soft or semi-soft cheeses, excluding fresh cheeses
- packaged heat-treated meat products
Total samples collected and analysed by the CNA
On completion of the study, a total of 811 samples had been collected and analysed by the CNA over the years 2010 and 2011 (404 samples of fish, 206 of cheese and 201 of meat products). These were distributed proportionally between the different cities according to population and the anticipated consumption of these types of products.
General findings:
- Soft and semi-soft cheeses: of 206 samples analysed, Listeria monocytogenes was found in only 1 sample, and did not exceed the limit of 100 cfu/g.
- Packaged smoked and gravad fish: of 404 samples analysed, Listeria monocytogenes was found in 24 samples, of which only 2 exceeded the limit of 100 cfu/g.
- Packaged heat-treated meat products: of 201 samples analysed, Listeria monocytogenes was found in 13 samples, of which 5 exceeded the limit of 100 cfu/g.
Final report
The final report on the programme and its findings was sent to the appropriate European Commission services before 31 May 2012, as required by Decision 2010/678/EU.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) made available to Member States the report on the study findings and the risk assessment report; links to these are provided below.
Statistical analysis of the Listeria monocytogenes EU-wide baseline survey in certain ready-to-eat foods Part B: analysis of factors related to the prevalence of Listeria Monocytogenes, predictive models for the microbial growth and for compliance with food safety criteria