These changes directly affect food manufacturers and distributors, ensuring that only safe ready-to-eat food products reach store shelves.
Read more Scammers swindled 10.3 thousand euros from a Vilnius resident
According to current European Union legislation, food production companies bear the primary legal responsibility for supplying consumers with only safe food. A product is legally considered unsafe and cannot be placed on the market if the bacterial count exceeds established limits or if the food poses a risk to human health.
If tests reveal that the permissible levels of Listeria in ready-to-eat products are exceeded, manufacturers must urgently initiate procedures to withdraw the food product from the market and recall it from consumers, identify the causes of contamination, and adjust production control procedures. In such cases, consumers who have purchased such products must be informed.
Into which groups are ready-to-eat products divided?
To ensure effective control, the European Union divides ready-to-eat food products into three groups based on the risk of Listeria growth:
- Category 1.1: infant and special medical purpose foods intended for the most sensitive consumer group.
- Category 1.2: products in which Listeria has a very favorable environment to multiply (certain meat, fish, dairy products) that are not fully heat-treated (e.g., cold-smoked products), products that are additionally sliced after heat treatment, or products with lower acidity or higher moisture content.
- Category 1.3: products in which Listeria cannot multiply due to their natural properties (very low pH ≤ 4.4, water content ≤ 0.92) or with a shelf life shorter than 5 days.
What tests and evidence are sufficient for each product group?
- For infant and special medical purpose foods: the strictest rule applies – Listeria must not be detected in 25 grams of the product. No other tests or exceptions apply to this group.
- For category 1.3 products (where bacteria cannot multiply): the manufacturer only needs to prove the physical-chemical properties (pH, moisture, or shelf life). Scientific literature analysis may also be used. A safety limit of no more than 100 bacteria per gram of product (100 cfu/g) applies throughout the product’s shelf life.
- For category 1.2 products (where bacteria can multiply): from July 1, 2026, if comprehensive tests are not performed, zero tolerance automatically applies (the bacteria must not be detected in 25 grams
- of food throughout its shelf life). To apply the milder 100 cfu/g limit, the manufacturer must conduct scientific studies (so-called suitability tests) and prove to the controlling authorities that the Listeria count will not exceed this limit until the end of the product’s shelf life. These tests include: evaluation of physical properties, mathematical modeling, and laboratory “challenge tests”.
VMVT reminds that Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most dangerous food bacteria. Unlike many other disease-causing microorganisms, Listeria is incredibly resilient – it can successfully live and even multiply at low temperatures (for example, in a refrigerator), in environments lacking oxygen (vacuum-packed), or in high salt concentrations.
This bacterium causes listeriosis – a very severe disease that poses particular risks to the most vulnerable groups in society: infants and young children, pregnant women, elderly people (over 65 years), and individuals with weakened immune systems (for example, those with oncological diseases).
Scientific data show that much smaller amounts of bacteria in food are sufficient to cause illness in these vulnerable groups. That is why the new rules (Regulation (EU) 2024/2895) are aimed at maximizing the management of this risk throughout the food chain – from the production company to our table.
How should consumers act?
Although food manufacturers and control authorities strive to ensure food safety, it is impossible to check every product on the market, so consumers themselves play an important role in ensuring safe food consumption. Experts recommend always paying attention to food packaging, following the specified storage conditions and temperature regimes, not exceeding the indicated “use by” date, and strictly following preparation instructions if thermal processing is recommended before consumption.
You can check and monitor in real time whether there are unsafe products in your refrigerator and home by using the continuously updated bulletin on unsafe food products, which you can find here.
Read more “My mom is missing”: relatives indicate landmarks, warn about possible condition
