The best way to prevent getting listeriosis is to always ensure you follow good basic food hygiene as outlined below.
- Peel raw vegetables, salads or fruit or wash them thoroughly before eating.
- Wash your hands before preparing food, before eating and after going to the toilet.
- Wash kitchen surfaces and utensils regularly, particularly after preparing raw meat, poultry and eggs.
- Always separate raw foods from ready-to-eat foods. Don't store raw meat above ready-to-eat foods because there's a risk that juice containing harmful bacteria may leak from the raw meat.
- Always cook food thoroughly and check cooking instructions carefully, including the cooking time.
For foods that are ready to eat, the most important ways of reducing the risk of listeriosis are to:
- not use food after its ‘use by’ date
- make sure the temperature of your fridge is between 0ºC and 5ºC
- follow storage instructions on food labels
Advice for ‘at risk’ groups
If you're in a high-risk group for catching listeriosis – for example, you're pregnant or you have a weakened immune system (see box, left), you should avoid eating foods that are known to be at risk of listeria contamination. These include:
- ripened soft cheese, such as Camembert and Brie
- blue cheese, such as a stilton
- all types of pâté, including vegetable pâté
- unpasteurised milk
- undercooked food
