Prevent Listeria
Listeria is a harmful germ that can be in food. Find out which foods are more likely to be contaminated with Listeria and ways you can protect your health and the health of your loved ones.
Choose safer foods
Listeria is especially harmful for some people:
- Older adults (65 and older)
- People who have weakened immune systems (have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness)
- Pregnant people and newborns
If you are in any of these groups, choose safer foods to protect your health or your pregnancy:
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Because of recent outbreaks, CDC is currently working to understand the risk of Listeria infection from enoki mushrooms. While this work is happening, CDC advises people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system to not eat raw enoki mushrooms. Instead, cook enoki mushrooms thoroughly, and ask that restaurants cook them thoroughly.
Foods more likely to be contaminated with Listeria
Listeria is a hardy germ that can be difficult to fully remove from food processing facilities. If a facility has Listeria germs, the germs can spread to food that touches contaminated equipment or surfaces. Listeria can also spread from contaminated food to surfaces. It can even grow on foods kept in the refrigerator. The good news is that Listeria is easily killed by heating food to a high enough temperature.
Find out why some foods are more likely to be contaminated with Listeria and learn about recent outbreaks linked to these foods.
Soft cheeses, such as queso fresco and brie
Soft cheeses are more likely than hard cheeses to be contaminated with Listeria because of their high moisture, low salt content, and low acidity. These conditions support the growth of Listeria. Soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk or made in facilities with unclean conditions are even more likely to be contaminated. Although pasteurizing milk kills germs, cheese made with pasteurized milk can still get contaminated during cheese-making.
Soft cheeses include queso fresco, queso blanco, queso panela, brie, camembert, and blue-veined.
Hard cheeses include asiago, cheddar, emmental, gruyere, parmesan, and swiss cheese.
Recent multistate outbreaks:
Meats, cheeses, and salads from the deli
Products sold at the deli, especially those sliced or prepared at the deli, can be contaminated with Listeria. Listeria spreads easily among deli equipment, surfaces, hands, and food. Deli products are kept refrigerated, but refrigeration does not kill Listeria.
Examples of deli salads include coleslaw, potato salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad.
Recent multistate outbreaks:
Deli meats, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages
Deli meats, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages can be contaminated with Listeria when they are made or prepared at facilities where Listeria persists. Although cooking, fermenting, or drying kills germs, these meats can get contaminated afterwards if they touch surfaces with Listeria. Refrigeration does not kill Listeria, but reheating before eating will kill any germs that may be on these meats.
Examples of fermented or dry sausages include chorizo, pepperoni, salami, and summer sausage.
Recent multistate outbreaks:
Pâté or meat spreads
Refrigerated pâté or meat spreads can become contaminated with Listeria when they are made in a facility where Listeria persists. Refrigeration does not kill Listeria.
A safer choice is “shelf-stable” pâté or meat spreads. These are heat-treated to kill any germs and sealed in airtight containers (such as cans, tins, or glass jars). They don’t need to be refrigerated before opening.
Cold-smoked fish
Cold-smoked fish can become contaminated with Listeria when it is made in a facility where Listeria persists. The cold-smoking process does not kill Listeria. Refrigeration also does not kill Listeria.
Safer choices are “shelf-stable” smoked fish or cooked smoked fish. Shelf-stable smoked fish are heat-treated to kill any germs and sealed in airtight containers or packages that don’t need to be refrigerated before opening. Cooking smoked fish also kills any germs that may be in it.
Cold-smoked fish products are often labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” “smoked,” or “jerky.”
Sprouts
Sprouts need warm and humid conditions to grow. These conditions are also ideal for the growth of Listeria and other harmful germs. Germs can grow on the inside and outside of sprouts, so washing them does not remove all germs. Homegrown sprouts can also have germs because they need the same conditions to grow.
Multistate outbreak:
Melons
Melons are more likely than many other fruits to be contaminated with Listeria. This is because they have low acidity and can be kept in the refrigerator for a long time. Both these conditions support the growth of Listeria.
Multistate outbreak:
Raw (unpasteurized) milk and raw milk products
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. Pasteurization heats milk to a high enough temperature for a long enough time to kill germs that can make you sick.
Raw milk and products made from it – including ice cream and yogurt – can contain Listeria and other harmful germs. These germs can get into raw milk in multiple ways, including unclean conditions at the dairy farm and contact with animal poop.
CDC recommends that everyone choose pasteurized milk and dairy products.
Multistate outbreak:
