With rising incidence in recent years, Listeriosis, a severe foodborne disease in humans primarily transmitted through ready-to-eat (RTE) foods contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, became the most severe zoonotic disease in the European Union (EU) in 2024 with the highest hospitalization and mortality rates, prompting stricter regulatory requirements under Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 and its recent amendments. This systematic literature review aimed to evaluate the availability, validity and quality of published challenge test data on the growth potential and maximum growth rate of Listeria monocytogenes in RTE foods to identify data gaps and, if possible, to support the derivation of a classification of RTE foods into the two existing regulatory categories, a and b (not able and able to support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes). Conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook, a comprehensive database search was done to identify eligible challenge test studies on Listeria monocytogenes growth in RTE foods, followed by structured screening and quality assessment based on the EURL Lm Technical Guidance Documents. A limited and heterogeneous body of published challenge test data on the growth potential and maximum growth rate of Listeria monocytogenes in RTE foods was identified, with substantial data gaps across multiple food groups, precluding meta-analysis and limiting regulatory applicability under the current regulations. Overall, the available literature is insufficient to reliably support regulatory classification or to enable direct extrapolation by food business operators (FBO), underscoring the need for product-specific investigations and food group-specific guidance for food safety.
Singer et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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