Managing Listeria in ready-to-eat foods
From 1 July 2026, updated EU rules on Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods come into effect.
The updated rules clarify that limits for Listeria monocytogenes must be met throughout the full shelf life of ready-to-eat foods, including at wholesale, retail, and import stages, not just at manufacture.
For ready-to-eat foods that can support Listeria growth, businesses must demonstrate that levels remain within legal limits for the entire shelf life. If this cannot be shown, the stricter “not detected in 25 g” standard applies.
Food businesses producing ready-to-eat foods that could support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes need to understand what this means for them and what steps they may need to take before the July deadline.
In April 2026, Safefood hosted a webinar on the new legislation for food businesses across the island of Ireland. You can watch the recordings below.
The new Listeria rules - what's changing and why
Dr Mary Lenahan, Senior Technical Executive in the Biological Safety Team at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, explains the public health reasons behind the amendment, what the legislation currently says and how it will change. She explains what food businesses need to do to demonstrate compliance, including how to carry out shelf life studies for Listeria monocytogenes.
Managing Listeria in practice
Catherine Coady, Regional Technical Director at Sofina Foods Europe, draws on her experience managing Listeria monocytogenes across multiple ready-to-eat cooked meat sites to share practical guidance on environmental monitoring, site hygiene, and predictive modelling tools. The Q&A session that follows also covers the application of the new rules in Northern Ireland.
Transcript
Further information and resources
- EFSA story map: Listeria monocytogenes
- FSAI information on Listeria monocytogenes
- Guidance document on Listeria monocytogenes monitoring and shelf-life studies for ready-to-eat foods, European Commission (2025)
- Guidance Note 45: Environmental Monitoring of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Food Business Operations, FSAI (2026)
- European Union Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes (EURL Lm): guidance documents on challenge testing, durability studies, choosing a lab, and swabbing
- Guidance Note 44: Food Safety Culture, FSAI (2025)
- Guidance Note 27: Enforcement of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on Microbiological Criteria for Foodstuffs, FSAI (2014)
- Guidance Note 46: Control of Listeria monocytogenes and Ensuring Food Safety in the Production of Certain Cook/Chilled Ready-To-Heat Meals, FSAI (2026)
- FSAI Learning Portal
