Listeria is a common cause of food recalls

: Published: 09 March 2026

In 2025, the German federal states and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) published a total of 323 recalls.

In just under a third of cases, pathogens were the reason for the report. Listeria was the most common cause with 43 reports, followed by salmonella (27). Both bacteria can cause serious illness.

Healthy people usually do not notice an infection with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. However, it can cause serious illness, especially in people with weakened immune systems. These include the elderly, newborns, the chronically ill and pregnant women. Listeria can also continue to multiply in the refrigerator, where it can grow very quickly under the right conditions. Higher temperatures, such as those reached during cooking, frying or grilling, kill the bacteria.

Other reasons for recalls included undeclared allergens, residues, contaminants or foreign bodies in food.

Further information on food recall reports can be found here.

YOUR PLUS: The best protection against costly and image-damaging recall campaigns remains sensible, voluntary self-monitoring based on a current risk analysis. We support you in the creation of test plans and with our analytical expertise.

Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger, AGROLAB GROUP

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