FDA released a report on their sampling of RTE dips and spreads for Listeria and Salmonella. The concern is that these products will have post-lethality (after pasteurization) exposure during additional processing such as mixing before packaging where they can be subject to recontamination. (Ingredient contamination can also be an issue of course) Once packaged, the product is held under refrigeration conditions, generally having a long shelf-life, and then consumed, as is, by the consumer...often served with chips or veggies as a vehicle to scoop the product and deliver it by hand to the mouth (I think you know the process.) FDA points out the issue with these products.
"Over the past few years, there have been a few outbreaks and many recalls of dips and spreads. In FY2019, there were two outbreaks of Salmonella linked to Tahini (12 confirmed cases, 1 hospitalizations). In FY2017, there were two outbreaks of L. monocytogenes linked tohummus (31 confirmed cases, 26 hospitalizations, 3 fetal losses); one of the outbreaks may have contributed to 3 deaths. These past outbreaks and recalls are what prompted FDA to initiate this surveillance sampling assignment to survey the industry, perform follow-up inspections to positive samples to identify potential routes and sources of contamination, when possible, and ensure potentially contaminated product was removed from the retail market to protect public health."
The top items sampled included hummus (336), cheese spread (82) cheese and vegetable spread (65), dairy [sour cream type?] (63), cheese and pepper (54), dairy and vegetable [sour cream and oinion?], and salsa (37).
Out of the 747 samples tested in this assignment, four were detected to have a human pathogen
Salmonella - The agency detected Salmonella spp. in one hummus sample collected from a retail establishment in Kingsburg, CA. The FDA detected the serovar Salmonella Havana in one of the two composites. Upon detecting Salmonella spp., the FDA performed Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis on the organism and determined that it did not match any known human illnesses and was not linked to any other product or environmental samples.
Listeria - The FDA detected Listeria monocytogenes in three dips and spreads samples – two cheese samples, one cheese and pepper sample – collected from a retail establishment in Colorado Springs, CO. All three of the samples contaminated with L. monocytogenes were produced by the same manufacturer. After detecting L. monocytogenes, the agency conducted WGS analysis on the organisms and determined they did not match any known human illnesses and were not linked to any other product or environmental samples.
The agency’s finding of three positive product samples and over 23 positive environmental samples all from one firm indicates that the controls that firm established were not effective at significantly minimizing or preventing L. monocytogenes from contaminating their RTE finished products. The large number of positive environmental samples found in the follow-up inspection indicates the firm had not implemented effective sanitation controls.
