Lunch Boxes Beware: How Ready-to-Eat Foods Can Carry Listeria

Lunch Boxes Beware: How Ready-to-Eat Foods Can Carry Listeria

Every parent, worker, and traveler knows the appeal of ready-to-eat foods (RTEs). They’re convenient, portable, and often marketed as safe and wholesome. But beneath the shiny packaging and grab-and-go promise, RTE products can hide a dangerous pathogen: Listeria monocytogenes.

Recent outbreaks show that sandwiches, salads, and pre-packaged meals—especially those sold in hospitals, airports, and vending machines—can become vehicles for serious illness. Unlike some bacteria, Listeria thrives in cold environments, making refrigerated foods a perfect hiding place.

Case Study 1: Fresh & Ready Foods Outbreak, 2025

In May 2025, the CDC and FDA began investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes linked to ready-to-e