Listeria monocytogenes in EU Food Imports — RASFF Notifications
Listeria monocytogenes appeared in 953 RASFF notifications between 2019 and 2026 — 3.9% of the 24,209 notifications that identify a hazard. The origins cited most often are France, Poland, Italy. The most-affected product category is Fish and Fish Products. Volume in 2025 was down 1% on 2024.
Key figures
- How Listeria monocytogenes problems were found
- Company's own check 62%, official control on the market 32%, consumer complaint or illness 2%, at the EU border 2%, monitoring or surveillance sample 1%, other 1%. Details available for 942 of 953.
- Reached the EU market
- 94% of the products whose record says either way; 380 were recalled from consumers.
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Listeria monocytogenes notifications by year
| Year | Notifications | of which border rejections | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 2020 | 124 | 0 | — | |
| 2021 | 120 | 0 | -3.2% | |
| 2022 | 126 | 0 | +5.0% | |
| 2023 | 118 | 0 | -6.3% | |
| 2024 | 162 | 0 | +37.3% | |
| 2025 | 160 | 0 | -1.2% | |
| 2026 | 135 | 0 | — | YTD |
| Total | 953 |
Origins most cited for Listeria monocytogenes
| # | Origin country | Notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 209 |
| 2 | Poland | 97 |
| 3 | Italy | 95 |
| 4 | Belgium | 81 |
| 5 | Netherlands | 74 |
| 6 | Spain | 56 |
| 7 | Germany | 43 |
| 8 | Ireland | 33 |
| 9 | Lithuania | 32 |
| 10 | Denmark | 25 |
| 11 | Latvia | 17 |
| 12 | Norway | 17 |
| 13 | Romania | 17 |
| 14 | Czech Republic | 16 |
| 15 | China | 15 |
| 16 | Austria | 12 |
| 17 | United Kingdom | 12 |
| 18 | Hungary | 11 |
| 19 | Sweden | 11 |
| 20 | Brazil | 8 |
| 21 | Bulgaria | 6 |
| 22 | Serbia | 6 |
| 23 | Slovakia | 6 |
| 24 | Turkey | 6 |
| 25 | Croatia | 5 |
| 26 | Estonia | 5 |
| 27 | United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) | 5 |
| 28 | Greece | 4 |
| 29 | Portugal | 4 |
| 30 | Switzerland | 4 |
Product categories where Listeria monocytogenes appears
| # | Product category | Notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fish and Fish Products | 239 |
| 2 | Milk and Milk Products | 229 |
| 3 | Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry) | 209 |
| 4 | Poultry Meat and Poultry Meat Products | 91 |
| 5 | Prepared Dishes and Snacks | 53 |
| 6 | Fruits and Vegetables | 51 |
| 7 | Other Food Product / Mixed | 30 |
| 8 | Crustaceans and Products Thereof | 20 |
| 9 | Cereals and Bakery Products | 10 |
| 10 | Ices and Desserts | 5 |
| 11 | Bivalve Molluscs and Products Thereof | 2 |
| 12 | Herbs and Spices | 2 |
| 13 | Nuts, Nut Products and Seeds | 2 |
| 14 | Soups, Broths, Sauces and Condiments | 2 |
| 15 | Animal By-Products | 1 |
Recent Listeria monocytogenes notifications
- 2026.8623 listeria in dried beefFrom France, Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.8362 Listeria monocytogenes in truffle salamiFrom Italy, Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry). Company's own check, reached the market. Result 510 (limit assente CFU/100g). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.8335 Listeria monocytogenes was detected in 25 g samples (2 out of 5) of cold-smoked whole capelinFrom Lithuania, Fish and Fish Products. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result detected (2 from 5 units) /25g (limit Not approved null). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.8317 Listeria monocytogenes detected in Various Chicken Products From China, Ireland, Poultry Meat and Poultry Meat Products. Company's own check, not on the market. Result Detected (limit Absence /25g). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.8307 Listeria monocytogenes in salmon fillet from the NetherlandsFrom Netherlands, Fish and Fish Products. Company's own check. Result presence (limit absent null). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.8292 Obecność Listeria monocytogenes w szynce wieprzowej surowej dojrzewającej pochodzącej z Włoch///Presence of Listeria monocytogenes in rawcured pork ham from ItalyFrom Italy, Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry). Official control on the market, reached the market. Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.8235 Listeria in breaded haddock productFrom Denmark, Fish and Fish Products. Company's own check, reached the market. Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.8221 Listeria in sandwichFrom France, Prepared Dishes and Snacks. Company's own check, reached the market. Result Detected (limit NON DETECTED /25g). Listeria
- 2026.8064 Listeria detected in fresch gutted salmonFrom Norway, Fish and Fish Products. Company's own check, reached the market. Result detected. Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.8050 Salmonella spp. i Listeria monocytogenes w mrożonym mięsie drobiowym z Brazylii // Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in frozen poultry meat from Brazil via NetherlandsFrom Brazil, Poultry Meat and Poultry Meat Products. Official control on the market, reached the market. Listeria monocytogenesSalmonella spp
- 2026.7971 Listeria monocytogenes was detected in 25 g samples (2 out of 5) of roasted chicken fillet in 8 mm slices, IQF frozen, 1.4 kg.From Lithuania, Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry). Official control on the market, not on the market. Result detected (2 from 5 units) /25g (limit Not approved null). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.7859 Listeria monocytogenes in various organic cheese products from GermanyFrom Germany, Milk and Milk Products. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 3000. Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.7830 Listeria monocytogenes in chilled cooked whole shrimps from FranceFrom France, Crustaceans and Products Thereof. Company's own check, reached the market. Result Detected in 25 g (limit Not detected in 25 g null). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.7820 Presence of Listeria monocytogenes in Tarama from FranceFrom France, Fish and Fish Products. Company's own check, reached the market. Result presence (limit 0 /25g). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.7770 Listeria monocytogenes in smoked troutFrom Denmark, Fish and Fish Products. Company's own check, reached the market. Result Detected in 25 (limit Not detected in 25 /g). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.7719 Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in ready to eat dishFrom Sweden, Other Food Product / Mixed. Company's own check, reached the market. Result positive (limit 0 null). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.7708 Presence of Listeria monocytogenes in in Buffalo Mozzarella and Bocconcini cheese from IrelandFrom Ireland, Milk and Milk Products. Official control on the market, not on the market. Result Detected (limit Not detected /25g). Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.7643 Listeria in organic brie, from France.From France, Milk and Milk Products. Company's own check, reached the market, destroyed. Result detected. Listeria
- 2026.7636 Listeria detected in sliced chicken productFrom Lithuania, Poultry Meat and Poultry Meat Products. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 250. Listeria monocytogenes
- 2026.7576 Listeria monocytogenes in sweet gorgonzolaFrom Italy, Milk and Milk Products. Company's own check, reached the market. Result Presenza (limit Assenza /25g). Listeria monocytogenes
About Listeria monocytogenes
Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, a rare but serious foodborne illness that is most dangerous for pregnant women, newborns and the elderly. Unlike most pathogens it grows at refrigeration temperatures, so EU notifications concentrate in ready-to-eat foods: smoked and cured fish, soft cheeses and other dairy, and cooked meat products.
Which RASFF notifications does this page count?
All classifications: alert notifications, border rejection notifications and information notifications. A consignment rejected at the border and a product recalled from shelves are both evidence that the hazard reached EU food controls, so both count. The by-year table shows the border-rejection share separately.
What happens when this hazard is found in a consignment?
At the border, the consignment is refused entry and either re-dispatched, destroyed or downgraded to non-food use. On the internal market, the product is withdrawn or recalled and every member state that received it is notified through RASFF. Repeated findings against one origin can move that origin onto Regulation (EU) 2019/1793, which fixes an increased frequency of identity and physical checks at the border.
Where does this data come from?
The public RASFF Window operated by the European Commission, refetched daily. Counts are per notification, so one consignment listing several variants of the same hazard is counted once.