FDA Identifies Produce as Rapid Source of Listeria Contamination in Foodborne Illnesses
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has highlighted that produce isolates of *Listeria monocytogenes* are linked to a significantly shorter time frame for the detection of genetically related clinical illnesses compared to other food categories. A study analyzing 2,371 clinical and nonclinical *L. monocytogenes* isolates in New York from 2000–2021 revealed that 75% of produce isolates were genetically linked to clinical cases within 2.2 years. This contrasts sharply with other food categories, such as raw meat, where genetic links to clinical isolates could take up to 17 years to be detected. The research indicates that while *L. monocytogenes* is a leading cause of foodborne illness-related deaths in the United States, with an estimated 1,250 illnesses and 172 deaths annually between 2016–2019, produce appears to facilitate a more rapid progression from contamination to human illness. The study also examined the distribution of clonal complexes (CCs) of *L. monocytogenes* across various food categ... 
