Listeria Seems To Be Everywhere Right Now—Here’s What You Need to Know

Having access to safe, healthy food is a luxury that shoppers often take for granted. We show up at the grocery store, grab what we need, and don’t think twice about how products end up on the shelf. But everything on your grocery list takes a long journey to the store, one that requires many people and systems working together to keep our food safe.

Even with standards in place, our food supply still runs the risk of contamination. Bacteria, like listeria, continue to show up and cause dangerous outbreaks. Here’s what to do at home to keep you and your family healthy and safe.

What Is Listeria and Where Does It Come From?

Listeria is a type of bacteria found in many places, like soil, dirty water, and animals. Eating food contaminated with listeria can lead to a foodborne illness called listeriosis. Common symptoms for this infection include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

For most healthy people, symptoms often resolve within three days. However, a more invasive version of the infection moves beyond the intestines and can cause headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and seizures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How Does Listeria Get Into Our Food Supply?

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, an award-winning nutrition expert and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Health Shots, says that listeria contamination often happens during irrigation. This is because listeria bacteria spreads through soil and water. Farm animals can be infected with listeria as well, she says, often from eating or drinking contaminated food or water. The food that sick animals produce (meat, milk, cheese, butter, etc.) will also carry the bacteria.

Amidor says that “pasteurization will destroy harmful microorganisms like listeria,” but if the food (like milk or cheese) is raw and not pasteurized, it can be a source of food poisoning.

Food processing facilities can also spread listeria, Amidor adds. This happens because of contaminated surfaces or equipment, or because of employees’ poor hygiene.

As for foods frequently impacted by listeria contamination, Amidor says outbreaks occur most often with raw, unpasteurized milk and cheese, deli meats, undercooked or raw hot dogs, and pâté. Other culprits include raw, unwashed fruits and vegetables (especially melon), ice cream or frozen yogurt (especially from store machines), unpasteurized juice or apple cider, and raw sprouts. The current listeria outbreak stems from ready-to-eat pasta like fettuccine Alfredo and linguine with beef meatballs and marinara sauce.

How To Avoid Foodborne Illness at Home

Amidor says there are plenty of things you can do at home to prevent foodborne illness, including listeria poisoning.

• Pay attention to recall announcements and know how to identify food that’s part of a recall.
• Wash your hands thoroughly, especially before and after handling raw foods, after using the restroom, and before beginning to prep food.
• Clean and sanitize surfaces where you handle, eat, and serve food. This includes countertops, sinks, utensils, and any surface that may come in contact with food.
• Cook food to the proper minimum internal cooking temperatures, including meat, poultry, and seafood. Cook hot dogs per the manufacturer’s instructions before eating.
• High-risk populations, especially pregnant women, should never consume raw milk or cheese, avoid soft serve ice cream/yogurt, and avoid soft cheese.
• Keep cold food in the refrigerator and do not leave it out at room temperature for over two hours. If it is very hot (above 90°F), then the food should not be left out for more than an hour.
• Avoid cross-contamination by using designated cutting boards: one for produce, one for meat and poultry, and another for seafood.
• Wash melons using a stiff-bristled brush to get into the crevices before cutting.