NFPA: Warning Labels Not Enough to Combat Listeria It is going to take more than just label warnings to protect against Listeria, says the National Food Processors Association (NFPA).Responding to a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest on Listeria monocytogenes, the NFPA made the case that "new strategies to further protect the consumer will be most effective in combating Listeria, rather than the new regulatory mandates urged by CSPI.""The U.S. food industry shares with government a deep commitment to providing consumers with a safe food supply, and we believe that measures can be taken that will further protect consumers from Listeria,?says Dane Bernard, NFPAs vice president of Food Safety Programs. ?Mandatory end-product testing, however, does not appear to be the most effective risk management strategy available today.?P> Bernard suggests that other steps, including better risk assessment, a risk management strategy that included a flexible testing component, and risk communication, would have a far greater impact on U.S. food safety and reducing the incidence of listeriosis in this country.Bernard points out that, although the incidence of listeriosis is low, L. monocytogenes is widespread in the environment as well as in and around homes and food plants. ?So the ideal of eliminating the potential for contamination of all foods by L. monocytogenes must be tempered with a practical view of what currently is possible,?he says. ?Therefore, we must set a course of action that will ultimately yield the greatest results, while recognizing the reality of the limits of technology.?P> Warning Labels Not EffectiveWhile consumers need to be informed about listeriosis, warning labels on food products would not be an effective way to provide this information, Bernard contends. "Consumers, especially high-risk groups such as organ transplant or cancer patients, pregnant women and those with immune system disorders, need to be informed of the risk of listeriosis and provided with dietary and food preparation strategies to address this as well as other risks," he says.This advice should come from a variety of sources, says Bernard, including healthcare providers as well as other entities in both the government and non-government sectors. ?Having a safe food practices guideline in the revised 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans would be an excellent first step,?he says.Bernard also cautions: "Warning labels have not proven to be an effective strategy for managing the risks associated with consumption of products such as raw milk or raw oysters. We have no confidence that this would be an effective strategy in combating Listeria."He adds that "Information provided through the healthcare community has proven effective in reducing listeriosis in the United Kingdom, and a similar approach is being launched in Australia. Informing at-risk populations should be part of an overall risk management strategy, but it must be done in an effective way."Bernard says that other components of a multi-faceted risk management strategy for addressing L. monocytogenes should include targeted monitoring by regulatory agencies and solutions to inactivate pathogens after packaging. "With the help of researchers, including those in government, use of new and innovative technologies should be encouraged to provide industry with new control options, including in-package pasteurization technology such as irradiation to eliminate L. monocytogenes," Bernard states.
