U.S. FDA Draft Guidance for Industry on Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat Foods

On January 17, 2017, the United States Food and Drug Administration published a draft guidance document regarding control of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. This new draft replaces the previous draft guidance published in 2008. In the new draft document, FDA maintains the current "non-detect" standard for all RTE foods, but provides new incentives for industry to adopt robust environmental monitoring and corrective action procedures that provide control of listeriae in food processing and manufacturing facilities. This presentation will describe new incentives and will provide the rationale for changes made in the new document. Comments to the new draft document are encouraged and can be made to the official docket through July 17, 2017.