Just in the past year, 2021, there were four different major multistate listeria outbreaks, as well as numerous food recalls related to listeria contamination. When two or more people are determined to have gotten the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink, health officials qualify this as a foodborne illness outbreak. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 1,600 people become infected with listeria each year and 260 of those cases result in death. Though listeria infection is not the most common pathogenic cause of foodborne illness, it is responsible for a large percentage (19%) of the deaths caused by foodborne illnesses each year. For this reason, listeria monocytogenes are considered one of the “big three” foodborne illness pathogens. Those who are most at-risk for serious onset of listeria infection are those with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, newborn babies, and elderly people.
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