The European Commission published an update of the ‘Guidance document on Listeria monocytogenes monitoring and shelf-life studies for ready-to-eat foods’ (SANCO/11510/2013, revision of 18 December 2025). The update of the initial document, first published in 2013, is particularly due to the application of legal changes in Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 on July 1, 2026 for ready-to-eat (RTE) foods able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes.
The purpose of this guidance document is to support the application of Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 with regard to microbiological food safety criteria for L. monocytogenes. The guidance is primarily intended for food business operators who produce RTE foods, but it may also support competent authorities in carrying out official controls.
The guidance clarifies that the classification of RTE foods with regard to their ability to support the growth of L. monocytogenes must be supported by robust, product-specific studies. In addition to physico-chemical characterisation and the review of scientific literature, the use of predictive microbiology models is described in detail.
Furthermore, microbiological challenge tests are considered to be a key tool for assessing the growth potential of L. monocytogenes under foreseeable conditions at production, storage and use. Challenge tests are particularly relevant for demonstrating that RTE foods able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes comply with the limit of 100 colony forming units (cfu)/g at the end of the shelf-life (category 1.2a).
If this cannot be demonstrated by appropriate studies, the stricter criterion of “L. monocytogenes not detectable in 25 g” automatically applies during the whole shelf-life (category 1.2b).
The EU Commission's guidance does not describe in detail how to conduct each of the shelf-life studies and challenge tests. For this, reference is made to the separate technical guidance document of the EU Reference Laboratory (EURL) for L. monocytogenes.
