Ten-Year Surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Meat Products in Montenegro: Prevalence, Non-Compliance, and Risk Patterns

Listeria monocytogenes is a major foodborne pathogen of concern in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products. This study analysed a ten-year risk-based national surveillance dataset (2016–2025) from Montenegro to assess prevalence, regulatory non-compliance, and product-specific risk. A total of 6,830 samples across four RTE meat categories were evaluated according to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005. Overall detection was 38.8%, with significant but non-linear temporal variation (p < 0.001). Cooked emulsion products showed the highest prevalence (73.4%) but minimal non-compliance (0.8%), indicating frequent low-level contamination. Fermented dry sausages exhibited the highest non-compliance rate (6.2%), although decreasing over time (p < 0.001). In contrast, cured whole-cut products showed a significant increase in non-compliance, reaching 13.7% in 2024 (p < 0.001). No non-compliant samples were observed in smoked whole-cut products. Logistic regression identified product category and year as independent predictors of non-compliance. These findings demonstrate that prevalence alone does not reflect regulatory risk and support compliance-based, product-specific surveillance to prioritise control measures in RTE meat systems.