A recent study demonstrated the ability of Listeria monocytogenes to colonize multispecies biofilm within a matter of hours and survive within the biofilm over time, potentially offering it protection against cleaning and disinfection in food processing environments. Published in Microbiological Research, the study was conducted by researchers from the Austrian Competence Center for Feed and Food Quality, Safety, and Innovation; the University of Salamanca's Institute for Agrobiotechnology Research; and the University of Veterinary Medicine at Vienna's Center for Food Science and Veterinary Public Health.

The researchers introduced a strain of L. monocytogenes (ST121), which was isolated from the production line of a real-world meat company, to preexisting multispecies biofilm on stainless steel slides. The preexisting biofilm comprised bacteria strains that are frequently associated with Listeria-positive sampling sites: Pseudomonas fragi, Brochothrix thermosphacta, and Carnobacterium maltaromaticum. The researchers observed the behavior of L. monocytogenes within the biofilm, finding that it was able to colonize the multispecies biofilm within two hours.

After six hours, L. monocytogenes accounted for 6.4 percent of the total number of microbial cells in the multispecies biofilm, and after seven days, L. monocytogenes continued to survive in the biofilm, representing 2.4 percent of cells, without any significant changes in its abundance. P. fragi remained the most dominant species after seven days, and the presence of L. monocytogenes did not alter the biofilm community nor its matrix composition.

Additionally, the researchers cultured a monospecies L. monocytogenes biofilm on stainless steel, and confirmed the attachment of L. monocytogenes on stainless steel coupons after six hours of incubation. Although L. monocytogenes was able to colonize stainless steel, it did not build complex three-dimensional biofilms with high biomass yields, consistent with existing literature showing that the majority of L. monocytogenes does not produce dense biofilm on its own, and that the specific strain used in the experiment is not a strong biofilm-former. In both the multispecies and monospecies biofilms, the researchers observed the multiplication of L. monocytogenes cells.

Overall, the study showed that the L. monocytogenes strain isolated from a food environment is able to colonize and survive in a preexisting multispecies biofilm, without significantly altering the community structure or the overall matrix composition. The researchers believe this observation could suggest that L. monocytogenes is a passive survivor and resident of biofilms in food processing environments, rather than an "active player."

Study Demonstrates Listeria's Ability to Colonize, Survive in Preexisting Multispecies Biofilms

Hospitalizations, Deaths Caused by Foodborne Illnesses More Than Doubled in 2024

According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group's (PIRG's) "Food for Thought 2025" report, hospitalizations and deaths linked to foodborne illnesses doubled in 2024, and 98 percent of illnesses were attributed to just 13 outbreaks.

More specifically, there were 1,392 foodborne illnesses recorded in the U.S. in 2024, an increase from 1,118 seen in 2023. Additionally, hospitalizations more than doubled from 230 in 2023 to 487 in 2024. So did deaths, increasing from 8 in 2023 to 19 in 2024.

Despite the increased number of illnesses and severe outcomes seen in 2024, the combined number of recalls issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) decreased by 5 percent from 2023 (313 recalls) to 2024 (296 recalls). FDA issued 8 percent more recall alerts in 2024 (241 recalls) than in 2023, while USDA issued 38 percent fewer recall alerts in 2024 (55 recalls) than in 2023.

Undeclared allergens/ingredients caused the most recalls (101), accounting for 34 percent of all recalls issued by USDA and FDA in 2024. This represents a decrease from the 154 allergen/ingredient recalls seen in 2023, comprising nearly half of the year's total.

The number of recalls caused by three important foodborne pathogens—Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, or Escherichia coli—increased in 2024 and together comprised 39 percent of all recalls. L. monocytogenes caused the second greatest number of recalls in 2024, increasing to 65 recalls from 47 in 2023. Salmonella ranked third with 41 recalls in 2024, compared to 27 in 2023. E. coli caused 3 percent of recalls in 2024.

Of the 13 outbreaks that caused 98 percent of illnesses in 2024, all but one involved L. monocytogenes, Salmonella, or E. coli (the exception being an outbreak involving toxic levels of muscimol in mushroom-based edibles).

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a series of background documents on different viruses, bacteria, and parasites to inform the revision of drinking water quality guidelines and guidelines on sanitation and health. Covered pathogens include Salmonella, Yersinia, Vibrio, Escherichia coli, Toxoplasma gondii, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus, Campylobacter, and Shigella, among others.

The background documents include information about the strength of evidence linking the microorganisms to waterborne transmission, the presentation of illness, the burden of disease, infectivity, available detection methods, where the pathogens are often found, approaches for managing risk, effectiveness of water treatments, and whether E. coli is a suitable indicator organism.

According to the background documents, pathogens for which there is "strong evidence" linking transmission with unsafe drinking water include diarrhoeagenic E. coli, typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella, Campylobacter, Vibrio cholerae, Shigella, Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium, Giardia duodenalis, Entamoeba histolytica, rotaviruses, hepatitis A, and hepatitis E.

Yersinia enterocolitica, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Helicobacter pylori, Burkholderia pseudomallei, and sapoviruses were identified as having "moderate evidence" for waterborne transmission. The strength of evidence that Staphylococcus aureus, Cronobacter sakazakii, and astroviruses are transmitted through drinking water is considered weak, and therefore, are of low health concern for drinking water.

WHO Reviews Relevance of Different Pathogens to Drinking Water Safety

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the availability of up to $1 billion in investments to combat the ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) outbreak, provide poultry farmer relief, and lower egg prices. The five-pronged approach includes investments of up to $500 million to support farm biosecurity and up to $100 million for the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and other protection strategies for layer chickens.

To guard poultry from wild birds, which USDA cites as the cause of 83 percent of HPAI cases, the agency will expand its Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments (WBAs) to a greater number of farms across the country, beginning with egg layer operations. According to USDA, the approximately 150 facilities that already follow the protocols promoted by WBAs have experienced only one HPAI H5N1 outbreak thus far. Additionally, USDA will continue free biosecurity audits for all HPAI-affected farms, and audits will be encouraged and made available to surrounding, non-affected farms. Biosecurity shortcomings for affected farms must be addressed to remain eligible for indemnification for future HPAI H5N1 infections.

USDA will also deploy 20 trained epidemiologists as part of its increased biosecurity audits and WBAs to provide actionable and timely advice to producers on how to reduce HPAI risk at their facilities. These experts will help improve current biosecurity measures to focus on protecting against spread through wild birds, in addition to lateral spread. The agency will share up to 75 percent of the costs to remediate the highest-risk biosecurity concerns identified through WBAs and audits, with a total available investment of up to $500 million.

Aside from biosecurity support, USDA is making available up to $100 million in funds for the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and other interventions to protect layer chickens from HPAI H5N1 infection. The agency states that it will work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to "ensure the public health and safety of any such approaches include considerations of tradeoffs between public health and infectious disease strategy."

USDA will solicit public input on solutions, and will involve governors, state agriculture departments, state veterinarians, and poultry and dairy farmers on vaccine and therapeutics strategy, logistics, and surveillance. The agency will hold biweekly discussions and will also brief the public on its progress biweekly until further notice.

USDA to Invest in Farm Biosecurity, Chicken Vaccinations to Combat Avian Influenza

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a new commodity-specific prevention strategy for norovirus and hepatitis A virus contamination of fresh and frozen berries.

According to a 2024 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/WHO Joint Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA), frozen berries contaminated with hepatitis A virus and norovirus are virus-commodity pairs that present the highest global public health burden. In the U.S., outbreaks of these enteric viruses have been linked to imported fresh and frozen berries since 1997, with the most recent berry-associated hepatitis A outbreaks occurring in 2022 and 2023.

Based on findings from outbreak investigations, historical data, and consultations with food safety experts, the prevention strategy addresses factors that may contribute to the contamination of berries with enteric viruses, and outlines actions for FDA and industry to mitigate enteric virus contamination of berries, such as:

• Promoting high rates of compliance with FDA food safety requirements
• Encouraging industry to identify and ensure consistent application of processes, or a combination of processes, which describe adequate berry pre- and post-harvest sanitary practices for domestic and global berry operations, including promoting the use of root cause analysis when failures are observed in food safety systems
• Broadening scientific knowledge about the viability, persistence, detection, and mitigation of viruses in fresh and frozen berries, pre- and post-harvest environments, and agricultural water sources
• Incentivizing industry and governments to embrace the use of public health prevention measures through immunization programs to promote worker health.

Key factors to consider in preventing berry-associated enteric virus outbreaks include proper hygienic practices of field workers, management of sanitary facilities, measures to prevent cross-contamination of fruit in the field and processing operations, and measures to monitor and limit viral carriage of farm and facility workers. Further investigation is needed to better understand viral persistence in the agricultural environment, the processing environment, and in berries; routes of contamination; and public health factors.

FDA's prevention strategy addresses critical knowledge gaps by fostering scientific research to enhance the ability to detect and characterize enteric viruses in various sample types and link sources of contamination using advanced laboratory methods. Research also focuses on understanding the ecology of enteric viruses in berry and other fresh produce operations. All defined goals and deliverables aim to reduce future incidences of foodborne illness linked to fresh and frozen berries.

FDA Publishes Prevention Strategy for Hepatitis A, Norovirus in Berries

A joint report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) shows that resistance to key antibiotics among important foodborne pathogens is persistently high in both humans and animals.

The report is based on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance data collected from 2022–2023 for bacterial isolates from food-producing animals and their meat, and from human clinical cases. Data was provided by the 27 EU Member States, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, and Switzerland. The report looked at AMR data for Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli.

A concerning trend is the increasing resistance to ciprofloxacin among Salmonella Enteritidis and Campylobacter jejuni in humans, seen in more than half of the countries that submitted data. Due to the level of resistance, fluoroquinolones can no longer be recommended for the treatment of Campylobacter infections in humans.

Additionally, high to extremely high proportions of ciprofloxacin resistance were seen in Campylobacter from food-producing animals (chickens, fattening turkeys, fattening pigs, and calves), and in Salmonella and E. coli from poultry specifically. Ciprofloxacin is a critically important fluoroquinolone antimicrobial used to treat Salmonella and Campylobacter infections.

On a positive note, combined resistance to critically important antimicrobials (i.e., resistance to two different specific antimicrobials) was generally found to be low in Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli. 

Additionally, although individual variations across the EU were found, key outcome indicators show that significant progress has been made in reducing AMR in food-producing animals in several Member States. Differences in the occurrence of AMR in Member States can relate to historical or current patterns of antimicrobial use; however, it may also highlight differences in husbandry and/or other practices or strategies that may assist in the prevention of AMR.

For Salmonella and indicator E. coli isolates from food-producing animals, resistance to ampicillin, tetracyclines, and sulfonamides ranged from moderate to very high in most EU Member States. Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins (cefotaxime and ceftazidime) was reported at low levels in Salmonella isolates from animals. At the same time, between 2014 and 2023, a statistically increasing trend in ampicillin resistance was observed in Salmonella isolates from broilers, while a declining trend in tetracycline resistance was noted in turkey isolates.

In imported fresh meat of broilers and turkeys sampled at border control posts, very high levels of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins were observed for Salmonella. Similarly, in indicator E. coli, resistance to third-generation cephalosporins was reported at very low or low levels in all animal populations and imported fresh meat of pigs and cattle, whereas moderate levels of resistance were seen in imported fresh meat of broilers and turkeys.

Resistance to (fluoro) quinolones was reported at high to very high levels among Salmonella and indicator E. coli isolates recovered from broilers, fattening turkeys, and imported poultry meat in 2022.

Follow-up activities are required after the detection of a number of carbapenemase-producing (CP) E. coli isolates in pigs, cattle under one year of age, poultry, and meat by seven Member States in 2022–2023. The number of reported CP isolates is increasing. These isolates need to be monitored closely as carbapenems are last-resort antimicrobials for human therapy and are not licensed for use in food-producing animals. Sources of CP isolates in livestock should be further investigated.

Concerning Resistance to Key Antibiotics Seen in Foodborne Pathogens in EU Food Animals

The EU has adopted a new regulation requiring Member States to conduct whole genome sequencing (WGS) on the isolates of five important pathogens during the investigations of foodborne illness outbreaks, and sets data-sharing parameters. Regulation (EU) 2025/179 aims to facilitate foodborne illness outbreak investigations and enable the timely detection of sources and causes. The date after which the regulation will be applied is August 23, 2026.

Specifically, the regulation states that, during official controls at food and feed businesses suspected to be implicated in a foodborne illness outbreak, competent authorities within Member States must collect isolates of Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, and Campylobacter coli derived from food, animal, feed, and related environmental samples. Member States will be required to carry out WGS on those isolates.

Member States must transmit the WGS results to the EFSA, which developed a joint One Health system together with the ECDC. Within the joint One Health system, EFSA will be able to compare WGS data for food-related isolates with WGS data from human isolates that are communicated to ECDC. Certain information is required to be sent with the WGS data, including:

• A unique reference number of the genome sequence of the isolate from which the sequence has been generated
• A unique reference number of the sample from which the pathogen has been isolated
• The pathogen species
• The description of the food, animal species, feed, or environment the isolate was derived from
• The date of sampling
• The Member State of sampling
• If notified in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), the reference to the notification associated with the isolate
• A unique reference number of the foodborne outbreak investigated at national level.

New EU Regulation Requires WGS Analysis, Data Reporting for Important Foodborne Pathogens

New EU plastic packaging and waste regulations have been published, which limit per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging, ban single-use plastics for fruit and vegetables under a certain weight, and set forth other changes. Regulation (EU) 2025/40, also known as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), has transition periods for different requirements beginning as early as August 12, 2026.

PPWR amends Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904, and repeals Directive 94/62/EC. The regulation is mandatory for EU Member States.

PFAS and Substances of Concern
Regarding PFAS, PPWR will prohibit "forever chemicals" in food packaging in concentrations greater than 25 parts per billion (ppb) for any PFAS measured with targeted PFAS analysis (excluding polymeric PFAS), 250 ppb for the sum of PFAS measured as the sum of targeted PFAS analysis (excluding polymeric PFAS), and 50 parts per million (ppm) for PFASs (including polymeric PFAS). This regulation will apply to food contact packaging placed on the EU market by August 12, 2026.

Existing limits for lead, cadmium, mercury, and chromium present in packaging or packaging components are retained in PPWR. The regulation also keeps the recent EU ban on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food contact materials.

Single-Use Plastics for Produce
PPWR also prohibits single-use plastic packaging for unprocessed, fresh fruits and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kilograms (kg), with exceptions when there is a demonstrated need to mitigate water or turgidity loss, microbiological hazards, physical shocks, or oxidation, or when there is no other possibility to avoid commingling of organic and non-organic produce. This regulation will apply from January 1, 2030.

Single-Use Plastics in Hospitality and Foodservice Operations
Also applicable by 2030, single-use packaging will be prohibited for certain foods and beverages at hotels, restaurants, and catering establishments, such as those consumed onsite and containers for individual portions or servings (e.g., coffee creamers, sugar packets, and condiment packets). The regulation states that consumers should always have the option to purchase food and beverages for takeout in reusable containers or in their own containers, under conditions that are no less favorable than those applicable to food and beverages offered in single-use packaging.

By February 2027, hotels, restaurants, and catering establishments must provide and inform consumers about the option to serve food and drink in the customer's own takeout containers for no extra charge. By February 2028, the sector must provide and inform consumers about a reusable takeout container option at no extra charge.

Recyclability

Requirements for recyclability and the amount of recycled content in plastic food packaging are also laid out in PPWR. Specifically, all packaging must be recyclable by January 1, 2028, with some exceptions for infant and follow-on formula, foods for medical purposes, and processed cereal-based foods and baby foods.

Additionally, by 2030, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) food packaging and food packaging made from plastics other than PET must comprise 30 percent and 10 percent recycled materials, respectively (this excludes single-use beverage bottles). By 2040, PET and non-PET plastic food packaging must both comprise 50 percent recycled materials (except single-use beverage bottles). Single-use beverage bottles must comprise 30 percent and 65 percent recycled materials by 2030 and 2040, respectively. The requirements will not apply to compostable packaging or packaging made of less than 5 percent plastic.

EU Regulation Limits PFAS in Food Packaging, Bans Single-Use Plastic Packaging for Produce

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the South-South Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) are working on the establishment of a Regional Food Safety Research Network and Innovation Hub (RFSRNIH), designed to enhance coordination and knowledge-sharing to improve food safety across the Near East and North Africa region.

The establishment of RFSRNIH is prompted by Near Eastern and North African consumers being exposed to contaminated food and foodborne diseases at high rates, due to factors like climate change, unsafe water supplies, and limited infrastructure and resources. The problem is exacerbated by rising food demand associated with population growth, which has exposed the region to vulnerabilities in global supply chains.

Effective food safety management in the Near East and North Africa require the adoption of updated food legislation, competent food safety institutions, effective enforcement capabilities, robust monitoring and surveillance programs, reliable data generation mechanisms for risk analysis, and reliable conformity assessment services, including laboratory systems. However, there still exist substantial hurdles related to coordination of access fit-for-purpose academic programs, risk assessment initiatives, and data, as well as insufficient training for agri-food system stakeholders.

RFSRNIH aims to address these challenges by encouraging collaboration throughout the Near East and North Africa, and by catalyzing the transformation of agri-food systems in the region by fostering innovation, building regional capacity, and harmonizing food safety practices. RFSRNIH will serve as a platform to enable collaboration among governments, the private sector, academia, civil society, and international partners. It is intended to drive the development, testing, and scaling of innovative food safety solutions tailored to regional needs, while leveraging best practices and technologies.

FAO Establishing Regional Food Safety Innovation Hub for Near East, North Africa

FMI—The Food Industry Association promoted Peter Collins to Vice President of Business Development and Membership, Ashley Eisenbeiser to Vice President of Food and Product Safety Programs, and Deborah Stewart to Director of Registration Services.

The Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA) appointed Chris Lyons as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.

Former USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin, J.D. was named the new CEO of STOP Foodborne Illness.

Kelly Horton was appointed Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Relations at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has appointed Katie Pettifer, M.A. as its permanent CEO.

Kerry Group named Oliver Kelly as Group Chief Commercial Officer, John Cahalane as President and CEO of Kerry North America, and Peter Dillane as President and CEO of Kerry APMEA. 

Prinova appointed Richard McEvoy as its new President and CEO.

Nelson-Jameson appointed Ty Patritto as its Director of Category Strategy—Sanitary Process and Maintenance.

Arjoon Bose was appointed as Bel Group's Chief Marketing and Digital Officer.

RESOURCES

Based on the findings from an analysis of produce industry process water management, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has developed a free, online tool to help predict the transfer and accumulation of bacteria in process water in post-harvest handling and processing operations for produce. EFSA has also published findings and recommendations for fresh-whole, fresh-cut, and frozen produce.

The app, WaterMagage4You, works with preset or customized data, using a unique mathematical model to simulate various scenarios and predict the impact of different strategies for water disinfection and replenishment. The app considers parameters such as volume and replenishment of water, chlorine disinfectant concentration, total volume of the product being washed, and total bacteria counts.

WaterManage4You can be accessed here.

EFSA Releases Tool to Help Manage Microbial Contamination in Produce Process Water

The use of veterinary drugs in food-producing animals can leave residues that may pose a risk to consumers. To help address and mitigate these risks while facilitating international trade of animal-derived food products, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a toolbox to guide risk assessments for veterinary drug residues in food.

The toolbox describes the risk assessment process used by the Joint FAO/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) regarding veterinary drug residues in animal-derived food products consumed by humans. The JECFA Toolbox for Veterinary Drug Residues Risk Assessment is designed to:

• Introduce users to relevant concepts and issues that arise during a veterinary drug residue risk assessment
• Present the veterinary drug risk assessment process as specifically used by JECFA
• Provide examples of the individual steps in the risk assessment process
• Identify additional sources of guidance for users requiring more detailed information about specific steps in the risk assessment process
• Highlight the repercussions of data quality challenges and the subsequent impact on JECFA’s risk assessment process.

JECFA Toolbox for Veterinary Drug Residues Risk Assessment

FAO Toolbox to Guide Risk Assessments for Veterinary Drug Residues in Food