TABLE 30.
Listeria monocytogenes FSC as described in Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 for the different RTE categories across the food chain, 2022.
| Sampling stage | RTE foods intended for infants and RTE foods for special medical purposes | Other RTE foods | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Able to support growth of Lm | Unable to support growth of Lm | ||
| Manufacturing a | NA | Based on detection method: Lm not detected in 25 g of sample (n = 5, c = 0) c | NA |
| Distribution b | Based on detection method: Lm not detected in 25 g of sample (n = 10, c = 0) | Based on enumeration method: limit of 100 CFU/g (n = 5, c = 0) d | Based on enumeration method: limit of 100 CFU/g (n = 5, c = 0) |
Abbreviations: Lm, Listeria monocytogenes; NA, not applicable; RTE, ready‐to‐eat.
Before the food has left the immediate control of the food business operator that has produced it.
Products placed on the market during their shelf‐life.
n = number of units comprising the sample (number of sample units per food batch that are required for testing); c = the maximum allowable number of sample units yielding unsatisfactory test results. In a two‐class attributes sampling plan defined by n = 10, c = 0 and a microbiological limit of ‘not detected in 25 g’, in order for the food batch to be considered acceptable, L. monocytogenes must not be detected in qualitative (detection) analyses of 25 g food test portions obtained from each one of 10 sample units taken from the batch. If even one of the sample units from the batch is found to contain L. monocytogenes (detected in 25 g), then the entire batch is deemed unacceptable. This criterion applies to products before they have left the immediate control of the producing food business operator, when the operator is not able to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the CA, that the product will not exceed the limit of 100 CFU/g throughout the shelf‐life.
This criterion applies if the manufacturer is able to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the CA, that the product will not exceed the limit of 100 CFU/g throughout the shelf‐life. The operator may fix intermediate limits during the process that should be low enough to guarantee that the limit of 100 CFU/g is not exceeded at the end of the shelf‐life.