curedmeat.com / Safety / Hazards

Listeriosis

Listeria monocytogenes

Grows at refrigeration temperature. Recontaminates ready-to-eat product after the lethality step, from surfaces and hands.

Controls, with the source for each

Lethality target. FSIS recommends at least a 3 log reduction in Lm for RTE shelf-stable products, and says a 5 log reduction or greater is desirable for a greater margin against growth to detectable levels during storage.

Post-lethality controls. Handling after the lethality step is regulated separately from the cure itself. Slicing, peeling and packaging are where the exposure is.

Starter culture selection. Pediocin-producing strains were more effective than non-producing strains at reducing Lm in chicken and turkey summer sausage. The culture is a hurdle, not just a fermenting agent.

Why it matters here

Cured meat is eaten without further cooking, so anything that lands on it after the cure is what the consumer eats. Listeria is the organism that makes the post-lethality environment a regulated space in its own right.

Notes

• FSIS says establishments are not required to validate a 3 log Lm reduction separately if the process achieves sufficient reductions in Salmonella.

Steps that bear on this hazard

• Immersion briningThe meat sits in a salt solution until the two equalise, or
• Injection and pumpingBrine is pumped into the muscle rather than allowed to diffu
• Fermentation with starter culturesLactic acid bacteria acidify the meat, and where staphylococ
• Cold smokingSmoke is applied at a temperature too low to cook the produc

FSIS guideline identifiers and their URLs are listed on the methodology page. CFR citations are to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9, as in force on 1 January 2026.