Food Safety
Preventing Product Recalls: How Proactive Listeria testing Protects Your Brand
In the food production industry, the presence of Listeria monocytogenes poses significant risks to consumer health and brand reputation. Recent recalls underscore the importance of robust environmental monitoring and proactive testing to prevent contamination. By integrating Hygiena's advanced monitoring solutions into your food safety protocols, you can proactively manage Listeria risks and protect both consumers and your brand from the consequences of product recalls.
Beginning in January 2025, USDA-FSIS (Food Safety & Inspection Service) expanded its testing to detect all Listeria species in RTE (Ready-to-eat) products, environmental samples, and food contact surfaces, offering deeper insights into the effectiveness of facility sanitation programs. Read the press release here.
Understanding the Risk of Listeria & Product Recalls
Listeria monocytogenes is a resilient pathogen that thrives in cold, damp environments, making food production facilities particularly vulnerable. In May 2025, a major recall was initiated after routine FDA testing found Listeria on equipment in a production facility, leading to the withdrawal of 86 ready-to-eat products distributed across multiple states.
Such incidents highlight the critical need for proactive environmental monitoring to detect contamination before products reach consumers.
Why Environmental Monitoring Is Critical
Effective environmental monitoring involves routine swabbing and testing in high-risk zones, especially areas where equipment and facility structures can harbor biofilms. Timely detection and response are crucial to prevent contamination from spreading.
How Hygiena® Helps Prevent Recalls
To reduce the risk of recalls due to Listeria or other pathogens, processors need more than routine testing - they need actionable insights.
Our validated methods provide reliable detection across meat, ready-to-eat products, dairy, and seafood matrices, helping food manufacturers meet strict safety regulations. From manual to fully automated testing options, each solution is backed by technical support for seamless implementation.
Our Listeria Testing Solutions
Learning From Recalls: Strengthening Your Food Safety Culture
Recent Listeria recalls demonstrate that waiting for third-party labs or batch-end testing is insufficient. Proactive hygiene verification and environmental testing must be embedded in daily workflows.
A robust food safety culture includes:
- Daily pre- and post-operation testing: Ensures that critical surfaces and equipment are free from contamination.
- Routine monitoring of hard-to-clean areas: Areas such as drains, joints, and under equipment should be regularly tested.
- Digital recordkeeping and trending: Utilizing software such as SureTrend® for data analysis helps anticipate risks rather than react to them.
Stay Ahead of Listeria - Not Behind It
Recalls aren't just a risk - they're a reality for food processors who rely on outdated or infrequent testing practices. Hygiena equips your team with tools to detect, correct, and prevent contamination before it ever reaches the consumer.
Other Pathogen Detection Solutions
Hygiena’s comprehensive solutions go beyond Listeria, helping manufacturers detect and mitigate other critical pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli before they reach consumers - protecting both public health and your brand.
Our testing solutions include:
BAX® System and foodproof®
PCR assays with BAX® System Q7
Prep Xpress
Check out our Pathogen Detection Solutions
Additional solutions from Hygiena to protect your brand from recalls
Rapid detection: InSite® Listeria and InSite® L. mono Glo offer easy-to-use, self-contained tests that provide results within 24–48 hours, enabling swift corrective actions.
UltraSnap®, SuperSnap®, AquaSnap® TOTAL and FREE: Cleaning validation is a critical step in preventing cross-contamination. Hygiena’s ATP monitoring tools instantly verify cleaning effectiveness, ensuring your facility meets stringent hygiene standards before production begins.
MicroSnap® Total, EB, Coliform, and E. coli for rapid microbial detection: Hygiena offers rapid, on-site solutions for detecting bacteria, such as total viable count (TVC), E. coli and coliforms, providing crucial data for process control and batch release decisions.
EnSURE® Touch smart luminometer: This industry leading luminometer combines ATP testing, pathogen detection (including L. mono), quality indicators' quantitation (including Listeria spp.), allergen testing, and more into a user-friendly, hand-held instrument. By eliminating the need for multiple instruments, EnSURE Touch improves efficiency, accuracy, and ease of use.
SureTrend®: Centralized Food Safety Data Management: SureTrend integrates seamlessly with EnSURE Touch, the BAX® System, and external data sources, providing a holistic view of your food safety program and highlighting risk areas before they become recall events. It turns scattered food safety data into actionable insights, helping food producers:
- Improve decision-making by visualizing dynamic data maps
- Monitor multiple facilities within a single dashboard from anywhere
- Integrate all testing results in one place
Don't wait for a recall to review your food safety protocols.
Explore Hygiena's full suite of environmental monitoring solutions and safeguard your operations from costly disruptions.
Sources
- https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-listeria-monocytogenes-ready-eat-foods-may-2025
- About Listeria Infection - https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/about/index.html
