Food Safety During Shelf Life
When RTE meat products reach the packaging environment in plants, they should be free of harmful bacteria. However, the inherent risk of recontamination by L. monocytogenes in meat processing environments has been well documented and must be addressed. As such, risk assessments should be conducted on these products in the finished packaged form to include assessment of their ability to prevent the growth of the pathogen for the duration of the refrigerated shelf life.