Food Safety and Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Washington, D.C. 20250-3700

News and Information

Updated December 15, 2003

Listeria monocytogenes

Contents From USDA Latest News and Recalls Past New Items Backgrounders Consumer Information (of special interest to pregnant women) Consumer Research Federal Register Guidance Documents For more information about Listeria and listeriosis From CDC From the MMWR For more information about foodborne bacteria FDA ("Bad Bug Book") Fight BAC!® (Partnership for Food Safety Education) File Formats Note: To read and print a PDF* file, you must have the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader installed on your PC. You can download a version suitable for your system, free of charge, from the Adobe Home Page. Adobe also provides tools and information to help make Adobe PDF files accessible to users with visual disabilities at http://access.adobe.com. RealNetworks' RealOne media player is required to view the video clips on this page. If you do not have the RealOne Player, you may download a free version. Only the free version is required. Microsoft Word: .Doc files are provided in Word format. If you do not have Word 97 or Word 2000 on your computer, you may download the Microsoft Word Viewer freeware program.	Latest News Quantitative Assessment of the Relative Risk to Public Health from Foodborne Listeria monocytogenes Among Selected Categories of Ready-to-Eat Foods (http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/lmr2-toc.html) Directive 10,240.4 FSIS Directive 10,240.4 - Verification Procedures for the Listeria monocytogenes Regulation and Microbial Sampling of Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Products for the FSIS Verification Testing Program (10/2/03) [13 pp. PDF] FSIS Directive 10240.4 - Interactive PDF (cross-linked to the flow charts in order to help you understand where each part of the Directive fits in the overall verification process that is established by the Directive ) Related Documents and Attachments Interim Final Rule FSIS Strengthens Regulations to Reduce Listeria monocytogenes In Ready-To-Eat Meat and Poultry Products (June 4, 2003) [Backgrounder] Docket No. 97-013F, Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products [PDF] Related Documents Compliance Guidelines to Control Listeria monocytogenes in Post-lethality Exposed Ready-To-Eat Meat and Poultry Products [PDF, 42 pp.] HTML Text Microsoft Word, 42 pp. FSIS Risk Assessment for Listeria monocytogenes in Deli Meats [PDF, 1.8 MB, 95 pp.] (also available in Microsoft Word) The PDF document is also available in sections for quicker downloading: Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Regulatory Impact Analysis [PDF, 78 pp.] Microsoft Word, 78 pp. Comments on the Draft (February 2003) FSIS Listeria Risk Assessment [PDF] Past News Items Recent Listeria Recalls Florida Firm Recalls Chicken Salad For Possible Listeria Contamination (December 11, 2003) Georgia Firm Recalls Chicken Product For Possible Listeria Contamination (November 25, 2003) All Recall Press Releases Backgrounders FSIS Rule Designed To Reduce Listeria monocytogenes In Ready-To-Eat Meat And Poultry Products, June 2003 Risk Analysis, February 2003 Key Facts: BAX, April 2002 FSIS Action Plan for Addressing Listeria monocytogenes, May 1999 FSIS Strategies for Addressing Listeria monocytogenes, February 1999 Consumer Information from FSIS Pregnancy Listeriosis and Pregnancy: What is Your Risk? Patient Education Sheet (also available in PDF) Spanish version:* La Listeriosis y el Embarazo: ¿Cuál es su Riesgo? [PDF] or [text] Newspaper (NAPS) Features in English and Spanish General USDA Advice on Preventing Illness from Listeria (Video) (Script) Listeriosis and Food Safety Tips, June 1999 (text), and PDF version for reproduction [use legal (8½ x 14") paper and "fit to page"] Spanish version: Listeriosis y Consejos en la Seguridad de los Alimentos (text), and PDF version for reproduction [page sizes vary; inside measures 16 x 9"; can use legal (8½ x 14") paper and "fit to page"] Consumer Research Listeriosis Food Safety Messages and Delivery Mechanisms for Pregnant Women (February 23, 2001) Federal Register Docket No. 97-013F, Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products [PDF] Docket No. 03-005N, Listeria Risk Assessment Technical Meeting--Notice of Availability and Public Meeting (February 6, 2003) Related Documents (includes presentations from meeting) See Listeria archives for prior Federal Register Notices. Guidance Documents FSIS Directive 10,240.3 Microbial Sampling of Ready to Eat (RTE) Products for the FSIS Verification Testing Program (PDF, 21 pp) IKE Scenarios (See #18-02 through #21-02) Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Small Meat and Poultry Plants (The Pennsylvania State University, Dr. William R. Henning, Dr. Catherine Cutter; September 2001) Food Safety and Inspection Service Revised Action Plan for Control of Listeria monocytogenes for the Prevention of Foodborne Listeriosis Guidelines for Environmental and Chill Water/Brine Sampling for Listeria (Posted March 13, 2000) FSIS Notice 23-99, Instructions for Verifying the Listeria monocytogenes Reassessment (August 3, 1999) FSIS Notice 17-99, Listeria monocytogenes Reassessment (June 17, 1999) Listeria Guidelines for Industry, May 1999 Top
For more information about Listeria and listeriosis:
	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Listeriosis Frequently Asked Questions (Reviewed March 6, 2001) En Español - General Information 2002 CDC Media Archives (Outbreak Information)
	*CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report* See Listeria archives for MMWR articles from 1998-1999.
For more information about foodborne bacteria:
	U.S. Food & Drug Administration Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook (The "Bad Bug Book")
	*The Partnership for Food Safety Education* Foodborne Illnesses Includes Ten Least Wanted Foodborne Pathogens (illustrated) and Organisms That Can Bug You

*Note: To read and print a PDF file, you must have the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader installed on your PC. You can download a version suitable for your system, free of charge, from the Adobe Home Page. Adobe also provides tools and information to help make Adobe PDF files accessible to users with visual disabilities at http://access.adobe.com.

For Further Information Contact:

Media Inquiries: (202) 720-9113
Congressional Inquiries: (202) 720-3897
Constituent Inquiries: (202) 720-9113
Consumer Inquiries: Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline; TTY: 1-800-256-7072.

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Listeria monocytogenes

Contents

File Formats

Latest News

Directive 10,240.4

Interim Final Rule

Related Documents

Recent Listeria Recalls

Backgrounders

Consumer Information from FSIS

Pregnancy

General

Consumer Research

Federal Register

Guidance Documents