Listeria

Food safety experts say cantaloupes have been involved in nearly 40 outbreaks of foodborne disease over the past 20 years, but this is the first time the melons have been tainted by listeria.

One of the main reasons fridge temperatures are recommend to be set at 5ºC is because of listeria. Listeria is a food poisoning bacterium that is psychrotrophic – in other words it likes cold temperatures. From the growth models, we know that listeria grows nearly twice as fast at 8°C as it does at 5°C, hence the recommended 5ºC, which helps keep us safe from listeria.

Listeriosis is a foodborne disease caused by listeria bacteria.