title: The occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in imported ready-to-eat foods in Japan.
abstract: Quantitative analyses of Listeria monocytogenes in imported ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sold at retail stores in Japan were performed. Of the 77 non-cooked meat products, 6 samples (7.8%) tested positive. The levels of contamination of 4 of the samples were below 100 colony-forming units (CFU)/g, which is the microbiological criterion for L. monocytogenes in RTE foods as determined by Codex. However, Listeria cells at levels of 100 and 400 CFU/g were detected in a salami sample and a raw ham sample, respectively. All of the 70 cheese samples and the 3 samples made from raw ham and cheese showed negative test results. These results suggest that imported RTE foods are potential sources of the causative agent of listeriosis.
authors: Division of Biomedical Food Research, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158–8501, Japan. yokada@nihs.go.jp
authors: Yumiko
authors: Y
authors: Okada
authors: Shuko
authors: S
authors: Monden
authors: Shizunobu
authors: S
authors: Igimi
authors: Shigeki
authors: S
authors: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology*; D003132:Commerce; D005511:Food Handling; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D013552:Swine