In China, limited information on the incidence of Salmonella in
RTE food products are available, and relating to its contamination
levels and potential risk to public health have never been determined
and evaluated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to
determine the prevalence and contamination levels, serotype distribution,
antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and genetic diversity
of Salmonella in Chinese retail RTE food products in order to obtain
data for quantitative risk assessments of Salmonella in this type of
foods.