ABSTRACT
Listeria is a ubiquitous organism that can be found almost everywhere in nature. Listeria is most often found in the following locations in an Ready-to-Eat food manufacturing plant in the order of their frequencies of occurrence: floors, drains, cleaning aids, wash areas, sausage peelers, food-contact surfaces, condensate, walls and ceilings, and compressed air. The incidence of listeriosis has declined as a result of the food industry taking significant action to reduce the entry of the organism into manufacturing plants, improvement in sanitation practices, and prevention of post-lethality product contamination. Contamination may be the result of undercooking, where lethality temperature or time is not met resulting in the survival of pathogens like Listeria. Ingredients used in food manufacturing can be a source of microbiological contamination and the hazards vary by the ingredient source. A very important part of management and control is the sanitary design of the facility and equipment.
