Food safety is a global priority and one of the major objectives of the current food legislation. However, microbiological risks of food products even today are one of the main sources of foodborne illnesses. Listeriosis constitutes the highest EU foodborne illness showing a high mortality rate around 13%. The fact that Listeria monocytogenes can grow at
refrigeration temperatures (2–4 °C), makes the occurrence of this pathogen in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods with a relatively long shelf-life, such as fishery products, heat-treated meat products and RTE cheese, of particular concern.