Risk assessment used to evaluate the US position on Listeria monocytogenes in seafood

Human listeriosis has been associated with consumption of food including seafood. Surveillance information on the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in seafood products is presented as a background for steps that are being taken to inform risk managers of risks associated with particular food products. United States policy for L. monocytogenes in food has been shaped by our increasing knowledge of the epidemiology of outbreaks and sporadic cases of human listeriosis, the potentially severe public health consequences, and the characteristics of the organism. A quantitative risk assessment of the scientific knowledge we have about the organism and the epidemiology of listeriosis should be the basis for changes in this policy. Risk assessment uses quantitative scientific and epidemiological information in a structured format to determine the risks associated with particular hazards. A quantitative risk assessment is being performed using currently available data by the US Food and Drug Administration, in collaboration with the US Food Safety and Inspection Service, to determine the risk of listeriosis from various foods, including seafood, for specific intervention methods, and for general and at-risk population groups. The questions being considered include those on level of consumption, epidemiology, dose response, and the virulence, biology, and ecology of the organism. Risk managers can use the resulting information to form a defendable science-based policy on L. monocytogenes in food.