VT Directive 10240.4 rev. 4 LISTERIA RULE VERIFICATION ACTIVITIES

VAAFM verification of establishment compliance with Listeria controls is an important food safety verification activity that supports VAAFM’s food safety and public health goals. This directive provides instructions for inspection program personnel (IPP) to verify that establishments that produce post-lethality exposed Ready-to-Eat (RTE) products control Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) through a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan or prevent Lm through a Sanitation Standard Operating Procedure (Sanitation SOP) or other prerequisite program. This directive also includes instructions for verifying RTE products that are not post-lethality exposed (e.g., cook-in-bag) are properly classified.