Scientists from Cornell University developed a modeling tool to assist the frozen food industry with understanding and managing listeriosis risks. The work was published in J. Food protection (vol 82,12, 2019). A quantitative microbial risk assessment model FFLLoRA (Frozen Food Listeria Lot Risk Assessment) was developed to assess the risk due to L. monocytogenes (LM) contamination in frozen vegetables consumed as a ready-to-eat food. The model was designed to estimate listeriosis risk per serving and the number of illnesses per production lot of frozen vegetables contaminated with LM. Factors evaluated include individual facility factors such as lot size, the prevalence of LM contamination, and consumer handling before consumption. Low-level of LM in frozen vegetables did not result in illnesses. Classification tree analysis emphasized that the initial concentration of LM in the lot, the temperature at which the product is thawed, and whether a serving is cooked as the main predictors for illness from a lot. Overall, the FFLLoRA provides frozen food manufacturers with a tool to assess LM contamination and consumer behavior when managing rare and/or minimal contamination events in frozen foods. More testing increased the probability of finding Listeria contamination. @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337382870_An_Assessment_of_Listeriosis_Risk_Associated_with_a_Contaminated_Production_Lot_of_Frozen_Vegetables_Consumed_under_Alternative_Consumer_Handling_Scenarios
