In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Prompted These Changes?New Testing Guidelines: What’s Changing?What to Know About Listeria
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
What Prompted These Changes?
New Testing Guidelines: What’s Changing?
What to Know About Listeria
ClosePhoto:Eating Well/Getty ImagesIf you’ve been paying attention to food recalls over the last year, you might have noticed thatListeriais everywhere. Your imagination isn’t playing tricks on you. From a massive Boar’s Head deli meat recall that ballooned from200,000 poundsto an astounding7 million poundsof contaminated meat, to the countless batches of taintedalmond milk,mushrooms,frozen waffles,veggiesand more, this sneaky bacteria has triumphantly garnered our collective attention. The saving grace in all of this? The USDA is enhancing its testing efforts to catchListeriabefore, they hope, it reaches our refrigerators.The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that they’ll be rolling out stronger testing measures forListeriabeginning in January 2025, which, in turn, might lead tomorefood recalls.But, ultimately, this is a good thing. While it might be worrying to see more food being recalled, it’s a practice that’s rooted in prevention. Consider it analogous to modernizing your home’s safety equipment—a sensitive smoke detector might go off every time you burn thetoast(annoying, I know from experience), but it’ll also flag you to more potential fires.Over 2 Million Cans of Coconut Water Recalled Due to Botulism RiskWhat Prompted These Changes?The significant string of foodborne illness outbreaks and large-scaleListeria-related recalls, particularly in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, may have pushed FSIS to look more closely at their testing procedures. The Boar’s Head outbreak alone caused 61 illnesses, 60 hospitalizations and, tragically, 10 deaths, making it clear that our current detection systems needed an upgrade.New Testing Guidelines: What’s Changing?In January 2025, the FSIS will establish a more rigorous approach toListeriatesting. Instead of focusing solely onListeria monocytogenes(the troublemaker bacteria that can make us sick), they’ll also test for all types ofListeriain ready-to-eat foods and on surfaces that come into contact with food. Think of it like swapping out reading glasses for magnifying glasses, which will allow inspectors to better detect early warning signs.The agency is also recruiting more experts to sit on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, which advises on the country’s regulatory approachand guides policy changes. In addition, it’ll be beefing up inspector training, requiring weekly verification of facilities’Listeria-related risk factors, and much more. They’ll be checking everything from new construction to damaged equipment and even cracked floors that could harbor bacteria. Yes, they’re, quite literally, looking into every crack and crevice to make food even safer.The focus on ready-to-eat products isn’t random. These foods, likedeli meatsand prepared meals, go straight from package to plate without any cooking step to kill harmful bacteria. The Boar’s Head recall highlighted this vulnerability. The contamination affected everything from liverwurst tohamand kielbasa, products many of us eat without heating.Why Are There So Many Recalls Right Now? We Asked the FDAWhat to Know About ListeriaWhile we wait for these new measures to kick in, it’s worth knowing what we’re dealing with.Listeriais a surprisingly hardy bacteria that can survive and even thrive in your refrigerator.Symptoms of infection can show up within a few hours or take up to three days to appear, and they can range from mild (fever, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting) to severe (headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions).Vulnerable populations, like the very young, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system, are more susceptible to illness and even death. Within the vulnerable population arepregnant people, who are 10 times more likely to get sick fromListeriacompared to other healthy adults.Listeria Is Everywhere Right Now—What Is It and How Do You Know If You Have It?The Bottom LineAlthough we might see more food recalls on the horizon, they may signal improved safety monitoring more than a decline in food quality. It’s all in the name of prevention. In the meantime, keep washing your hands, cleaning your produce, wiping down your food-prep surfaces and refrigerators and staying informed about recalls through the FDA and FSIS websites—andour recall alerts.Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmitSourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.FSIS announces stronger measures to protect the public fromListeria monocytogenes.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeriaoutbreak linked to meats sliced at delis.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(Listeriosis).U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(food safety for moms to be).
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Photo:Eating Well/Getty Images
Eating Well/Getty Images
If you’ve been paying attention to food recalls over the last year, you might have noticed thatListeriais everywhere. Your imagination isn’t playing tricks on you. From a massive Boar’s Head deli meat recall that ballooned from200,000 poundsto an astounding7 million poundsof contaminated meat, to the countless batches of taintedalmond milk,mushrooms,frozen waffles,veggiesand more, this sneaky bacteria has triumphantly garnered our collective attention. The saving grace in all of this? The USDA is enhancing its testing efforts to catchListeriabefore, they hope, it reaches our refrigerators.The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that they’ll be rolling out stronger testing measures forListeriabeginning in January 2025, which, in turn, might lead tomorefood recalls.But, ultimately, this is a good thing. While it might be worrying to see more food being recalled, it’s a practice that’s rooted in prevention. Consider it analogous to modernizing your home’s safety equipment—a sensitive smoke detector might go off every time you burn thetoast(annoying, I know from experience), but it’ll also flag you to more potential fires.Over 2 Million Cans of Coconut Water Recalled Due to Botulism RiskWhat Prompted These Changes?The significant string of foodborne illness outbreaks and large-scaleListeria-related recalls, particularly in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, may have pushed FSIS to look more closely at their testing procedures. The Boar’s Head outbreak alone caused 61 illnesses, 60 hospitalizations and, tragically, 10 deaths, making it clear that our current detection systems needed an upgrade.New Testing Guidelines: What’s Changing?In January 2025, the FSIS will establish a more rigorous approach toListeriatesting. Instead of focusing solely onListeria monocytogenes(the troublemaker bacteria that can make us sick), they’ll also test for all types ofListeriain ready-to-eat foods and on surfaces that come into contact with food. Think of it like swapping out reading glasses for magnifying glasses, which will allow inspectors to better detect early warning signs.The agency is also recruiting more experts to sit on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, which advises on the country’s regulatory approachand guides policy changes. In addition, it’ll be beefing up inspector training, requiring weekly verification of facilities’Listeria-related risk factors, and much more. They’ll be checking everything from new construction to damaged equipment and even cracked floors that could harbor bacteria. Yes, they’re, quite literally, looking into every crack and crevice to make food even safer.The focus on ready-to-eat products isn’t random. These foods, likedeli meatsand prepared meals, go straight from package to plate without any cooking step to kill harmful bacteria. The Boar’s Head recall highlighted this vulnerability. The contamination affected everything from liverwurst tohamand kielbasa, products many of us eat without heating.Why Are There So Many Recalls Right Now? We Asked the FDAWhat to Know About ListeriaWhile we wait for these new measures to kick in, it’s worth knowing what we’re dealing with.Listeriais a surprisingly hardy bacteria that can survive and even thrive in your refrigerator.Symptoms of infection can show up within a few hours or take up to three days to appear, and they can range from mild (fever, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting) to severe (headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions).Vulnerable populations, like the very young, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system, are more susceptible to illness and even death. Within the vulnerable population arepregnant people, who are 10 times more likely to get sick fromListeriacompared to other healthy adults.Listeria Is Everywhere Right Now—What Is It and How Do You Know If You Have It?The Bottom LineAlthough we might see more food recalls on the horizon, they may signal improved safety monitoring more than a decline in food quality. It’s all in the name of prevention. In the meantime, keep washing your hands, cleaning your produce, wiping down your food-prep surfaces and refrigerators and staying informed about recalls through the FDA and FSIS websites—andour recall alerts.Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmitSourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.FSIS announces stronger measures to protect the public fromListeria monocytogenes.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeriaoutbreak linked to meats sliced at delis.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(Listeriosis).U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(food safety for moms to be).
If you’ve been paying attention to food recalls over the last year, you might have noticed thatListeriais everywhere. Your imagination isn’t playing tricks on you. From a massive Boar’s Head deli meat recall that ballooned from200,000 poundsto an astounding7 million poundsof contaminated meat, to the countless batches of taintedalmond milk,mushrooms,frozen waffles,veggiesand more, this sneaky bacteria has triumphantly garnered our collective attention. The saving grace in all of this? The USDA is enhancing its testing efforts to catchListeriabefore, they hope, it reaches our refrigerators.The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that they’ll be rolling out stronger testing measures forListeriabeginning in January 2025, which, in turn, might lead tomorefood recalls.But, ultimately, this is a good thing. While it might be worrying to see more food being recalled, it’s a practice that’s rooted in prevention. Consider it analogous to modernizing your home’s safety equipment—a sensitive smoke detector might go off every time you burn thetoast(annoying, I know from experience), but it’ll also flag you to more potential fires.Over 2 Million Cans of Coconut Water Recalled Due to Botulism RiskWhat Prompted These Changes?The significant string of foodborne illness outbreaks and large-scaleListeria-related recalls, particularly in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, may have pushed FSIS to look more closely at their testing procedures. The Boar’s Head outbreak alone caused 61 illnesses, 60 hospitalizations and, tragically, 10 deaths, making it clear that our current detection systems needed an upgrade.New Testing Guidelines: What’s Changing?In January 2025, the FSIS will establish a more rigorous approach toListeriatesting. Instead of focusing solely onListeria monocytogenes(the troublemaker bacteria that can make us sick), they’ll also test for all types ofListeriain ready-to-eat foods and on surfaces that come into contact with food. Think of it like swapping out reading glasses for magnifying glasses, which will allow inspectors to better detect early warning signs.The agency is also recruiting more experts to sit on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, which advises on the country’s regulatory approachand guides policy changes. In addition, it’ll be beefing up inspector training, requiring weekly verification of facilities’Listeria-related risk factors, and much more. They’ll be checking everything from new construction to damaged equipment and even cracked floors that could harbor bacteria. Yes, they’re, quite literally, looking into every crack and crevice to make food even safer.The focus on ready-to-eat products isn’t random. These foods, likedeli meatsand prepared meals, go straight from package to plate without any cooking step to kill harmful bacteria. The Boar’s Head recall highlighted this vulnerability. The contamination affected everything from liverwurst tohamand kielbasa, products many of us eat without heating.Why Are There So Many Recalls Right Now? We Asked the FDAWhat to Know About ListeriaWhile we wait for these new measures to kick in, it’s worth knowing what we’re dealing with.Listeriais a surprisingly hardy bacteria that can survive and even thrive in your refrigerator.Symptoms of infection can show up within a few hours or take up to three days to appear, and they can range from mild (fever, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting) to severe (headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions).Vulnerable populations, like the very young, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system, are more susceptible to illness and even death. Within the vulnerable population arepregnant people, who are 10 times more likely to get sick fromListeriacompared to other healthy adults.Listeria Is Everywhere Right Now—What Is It and How Do You Know If You Have It?The Bottom LineAlthough we might see more food recalls on the horizon, they may signal improved safety monitoring more than a decline in food quality. It’s all in the name of prevention. In the meantime, keep washing your hands, cleaning your produce, wiping down your food-prep surfaces and refrigerators and staying informed about recalls through the FDA and FSIS websites—andour recall alerts.
If you’ve been paying attention to food recalls over the last year, you might have noticed thatListeriais everywhere. Your imagination isn’t playing tricks on you. From a massive Boar’s Head deli meat recall that ballooned from200,000 poundsto an astounding7 million poundsof contaminated meat, to the countless batches of taintedalmond milk,mushrooms,frozen waffles,veggiesand more, this sneaky bacteria has triumphantly garnered our collective attention. The saving grace in all of this? The USDA is enhancing its testing efforts to catchListeriabefore, they hope, it reaches our refrigerators.
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that they’ll be rolling out stronger testing measures forListeriabeginning in January 2025, which, in turn, might lead tomorefood recalls.But, ultimately, this is a good thing. While it might be worrying to see more food being recalled, it’s a practice that’s rooted in prevention. Consider it analogous to modernizing your home’s safety equipment—a sensitive smoke detector might go off every time you burn thetoast(annoying, I know from experience), but it’ll also flag you to more potential fires.
Over 2 Million Cans of Coconut Water Recalled Due to Botulism Risk
The significant string of foodborne illness outbreaks and large-scaleListeria-related recalls, particularly in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, may have pushed FSIS to look more closely at their testing procedures. The Boar’s Head outbreak alone caused 61 illnesses, 60 hospitalizations and, tragically, 10 deaths, making it clear that our current detection systems needed an upgrade.
In January 2025, the FSIS will establish a more rigorous approach toListeriatesting. Instead of focusing solely onListeria monocytogenes(the troublemaker bacteria that can make us sick), they’ll also test for all types ofListeriain ready-to-eat foods and on surfaces that come into contact with food. Think of it like swapping out reading glasses for magnifying glasses, which will allow inspectors to better detect early warning signs.
The agency is also recruiting more experts to sit on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, which advises on the country’s regulatory approachand guides policy changes. In addition, it’ll be beefing up inspector training, requiring weekly verification of facilities’Listeria-related risk factors, and much more. They’ll be checking everything from new construction to damaged equipment and even cracked floors that could harbor bacteria. Yes, they’re, quite literally, looking into every crack and crevice to make food even safer.
The focus on ready-to-eat products isn’t random. These foods, likedeli meatsand prepared meals, go straight from package to plate without any cooking step to kill harmful bacteria. The Boar’s Head recall highlighted this vulnerability. The contamination affected everything from liverwurst tohamand kielbasa, products many of us eat without heating.
Why Are There So Many Recalls Right Now? We Asked the FDA
While we wait for these new measures to kick in, it’s worth knowing what we’re dealing with.Listeriais a surprisingly hardy bacteria that can survive and even thrive in your refrigerator.
Symptoms of infection can show up within a few hours or take up to three days to appear, and they can range from mild (fever, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting) to severe (headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions).Vulnerable populations, like the very young, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system, are more susceptible to illness and even death. Within the vulnerable population arepregnant people, who are 10 times more likely to get sick fromListeriacompared to other healthy adults.
Listeria Is Everywhere Right Now—What Is It and How Do You Know If You Have It?
The Bottom Line
Although we might see more food recalls on the horizon, they may signal improved safety monitoring more than a decline in food quality. It’s all in the name of prevention. In the meantime, keep washing your hands, cleaning your produce, wiping down your food-prep surfaces and refrigerators and staying informed about recalls through the FDA and FSIS websites—andour recall alerts.
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.FSIS announces stronger measures to protect the public fromListeria monocytogenes.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeriaoutbreak linked to meats sliced at delis.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(Listeriosis).U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(food safety for moms to be).
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.FSIS announces stronger measures to protect the public fromListeria monocytogenes.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeriaoutbreak linked to meats sliced at delis.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(Listeriosis).U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(food safety for moms to be).
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.FSIS announces stronger measures to protect the public fromListeria monocytogenes.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeriaoutbreak linked to meats sliced at delis.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(Listeriosis).U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(food safety for moms to be).
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.FSIS announces stronger measures to protect the public fromListeria monocytogenes.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeriaoutbreak linked to meats sliced at delis.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(Listeriosis).
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Listeria(food safety for moms to be).
