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FDA Changes Listeria Policy On Certain RTE Foods

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

The FDA will be revising policy regulations on Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods to distinguish between RTE foods that support Listeria growth and those that do not.  Currently there is a “zero tolerance” standard for all RTE foods, allowing zero colony forming units per gram of food (cfu/g).  The new standard will allow RTE foods that do not support Listeria growth to have 100 cfu/g of food.

The FDA will be publishing a Compliance Policy Guide which will define RTE foods that do not support Listeria growth according to the following criteria:

• The pH of the food is less than or equal to 4.4; or

• Is customarily held and consumed in a frozen state; or

• The water activity of the food is less than or equal to 0.92; or

• Is processed using an effective listeristatic control measure

The FDA will continue to have a “zero tolerance” policy for RTE foods that do support Listeria growth, which allows up to 0.04 cfu/g of food.  RTE foods that do not support Listeria growth will be modified to allow up to 100 cfu/g of food. The new policy is similar to those in Europe and Canada, however the USDA’s FSIS has not yet changed their “zero tolerance” policy.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on February 07, 2008 (boomark / email).