The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released updated draft guidance titled, “Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat Food (RTE).” This guidance aligns with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in its focus on preventing dangerous pathogens such as listeria, which can grow even in refrigerated RTE foods and is particularly dangerous when consumed by older adults, pregnant women and others with weakened immune systems.
The draft document includes recommendations for personnel, cleaning processes, maintenance of equipment and sanitation to better prevent the growth of Listeria monocytogenes between the time of food storage, production and consumption.
The FDA is currently accepting comments on this draft guidance which can be submitted by visiting this link and typing in “FDA-2008-D-0096’ in the search box.
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