2022 Zoonoses Food Data

20 December, 2023

• Salmonella
• Campylobacter
• Shiga toxin / Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC/VTEC)
• Listeria monocytogenes
• Summary Statistics

This report contains data on food samples tested by the following official agencies under service contract to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland:

• Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine
• Health Service Executive
• local authorities
• Sea Fisheries Protection Authority

For the purposes of this report, each reported single sample consists of a single ‘sample unit’ (n=1) per sample, whereas each reported batch sample typically consists of 5 sample units (n=5) per reported batch sample. This means that for every batch sample reported (n=1), 5 sample units (n=5) were tested in the laboratory but only a single overall result was reported. For some foods, batch sample units might be greater than n = 5, such as for testing of Listeria monocytogenes in ‘Ready-to-eat foods intended for infants and ready-to-eat foods for special medical purposes’ where a batch sample is n = 10 units. Additionally, in the case of ’dried infant formulae and dried dietary foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below six months of age’ and ‘dried follow-on formulae’, a batch sample consists of n = 30 sample units as per the requirements of Regulation 2073/2005.

In addition, samples are separated according to ‘meat’ and ‘other foods’ and according to routine and suspect samples.

This report excludes samples taken as part of FSAI’s ‘annual national microbiological survey’, The results for each year’s annual national microbiological survey can be found in each respective years survey report which are available at the following link.

In the Listeria monocytogenes tables ‘positive enumeration’ means greater than the limit of enumeration (i.e. >10 colony forming units/gram)

The following abbreviations are used

• cfu/g = colony forming units per gram
• RTE = “ready-to-eat”
• NA = “not applicable”
• NS = “not stated”