Change to Listeria monocytogenes microbiological standards in Europe

COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2024/2895 of 20 November 2024 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards Listeria monocytogenes.

for information COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on all microbiological criteria for foodstuffs laid down all the standards for Listeria monocytogenes.

in the notes on the interpretation of the test results, the entry ‘L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes before the food has left the immediate control of the producing food business operator when he is not able to demonstrate that the product will not exceed the limit of 100 cfu/g throughout the shelf-life:

— satisfactory, if all the values observed indicate the absence of the bacterium,

— unsatisfactory, if the presence of the bacterium is detected in any of the sample units.’ is replaced by the following:

‘L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes if the producing food business operator has not been able to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the competent authority, that the level of L. monocytogenes will not exceed the limit of 100 cfu/g throughout the shelf-life of the foods:

— satisfactory, if all the values observed indicate the bacterium is not detected in any of the sample units,

— unsatisfactory, if the presence of the bacterium is detected in any of the sample units.’