Listeria monocytogenes is a dangerous food pathogen that causes listeriosis. Although not very common, there is a high hospitalisation rate (about 19%) and a high death rate (about 20 – 30%). Listeriosis causes about 0.02% of gastroenteritis, but about 25% of deaths due to gastroenteritis. In addition to the public health threat, L. monocytogenes is also a serious threat to the food industry, particularly the ready-to-eat food industry. Complying with regulations can be costly and the threat (and cost) of a product recall is ever-present. The EU places responsibility for food safety on the food producer, and regulations are there to give guidance to the food producer to help them meet this responsibility. Without this guidance, different food producers would have a different opinion on what is safe, and this variation in opinion could lead to a public health threat. L. monocytogenes is a public health threat that needs to be addressed in a joint effort by industry and regulators with research providing new information that can support that joint effort.
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