General advice
The best way to prevent getting listeriosis is good basic food hygiene.
- Wash or peel raw vegetables thoroughly.
- 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. Do not store raw meat above ready-to-eat foods because there is a risk that juice containing harmful bacteria may leak from the meat.
- Always cook food thoroughly and check cooking instructions carefully, including the cooking time.
For foods that are ready to eat the key ways to reducing the risk of listeriosis is to:
- not use food after its ‘use by’ date
- make sure your fridge is between 0C and 5C
- follow storage instructions on food labels
Advice for ‘at risk’ groups
If you are in a high-risk group for catching listeriosis, for example if you are pregnant or you have a weakened immune system, do not eat foods that are known to be susceptible to contamination by listeria.
These include:
- soft mould-ripened cheese, such as Camembert and Brie,
- soft blue cheese, and
- all types of pâté, including vegetable.
