This step will ensure the product will be safe for the consumer as well as aesthetically pleasing at the end of its shelf life. Listeria monocytogenes grows under refrigerated conditions. It is imperative that it not be present in refrigerated products, but that it be dealt with via elimination from the plant environment to assure against its presence in the product. Microbiological shelf-life determinations can usually be accomplished in real time and are therefore, quite accurate.