Intervention Strategies for Listeria in Ready To Eat Meat Products

Listeria monocytogenes has the potential to contaminate ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products. Listeria monocytogenes contamination is a hazard that has the potential to occur after post-lethality treatment in a processing environment during slicing or packaging of RTE meat products. The effectiveness of post-package decontamination technologies such as high-pressure processing, ultraviolet light (UVC) and pre/post-package surface pasteurization have been researched for controlling L. monocytogenes in RTE meat and products. Formulating meat products with antimicrobial additives such as lactates, sodium lactate and sodium diacetate, potassium lactate and sodium diacetate, sodium levulinate, lauric arginate, and organic acids is another common approach to control L. monocytogenes in RTE meat products. In conclusion, there are various approaches for controlling L. monocytogenes in RTE meat and poultry products post-lethality and processors should consider these options rather than relying on sanitation alone.