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D. T. BERNARD and V. N. Scott. Food Safety Programs, National Food Processors Association, 1350 I. Street, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

The recent outbreak of Listeriosis associated with hot dogs has proven once again that illnesses and even death can be related to recontamination of cooked product from environmental sources. Listeria monocytogenes is not the only pathogen we need to be concerned with as a result of its presence in food plant environments. Some may still remember the concern over spray-dried milk in the 1960s which was a contributing cause to Salmonellosis. Several will also remember the largest outbreak of foodborne Salmonellosis in modern times as this was associated with consumption of recontaminated pasteurized milk produced at a large, modern dairy in Chicago. Outbreaks have also been associated with products other than dairy and meats. An oat cereal was involved in a Salmonellosis outbreak and outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7-mediated foodborne illness have been linked to consumption of unpasteurized apple juice, and to fresh vegetables. In addition to outbreaks of foodborne illness, many more recalls have resulted from environmental recontamination with human pathogens. It has been recently observed that 15 out of 50 recalls of meat items for presence of L. monocytogenes have occurred in instances where production facilities were undergoing some sort of construction-related modifications. While many examples of environmental contamination exist, it is unfortunate that specific “smoking-gun” causes are rarely documented. While it is hoped that the fatal 1998-1999 outbreak of Listeriosis may be the last such incident, history indicates that we must be even more vigilant and aggressive if we are to effectively control outbreaks associated with environmental contamination.