The US Department of Agriculture has said that as from 9 December, increased government food safety inspections will be carried out at meat plants that do not routinely test for listeria bacteria.

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The new directive comes in response to the recent listeria outbreak in the northeastern US that caused 7 fatalities and over 40 cases of illness. The outbreak prompted massive recalls and forced the closure of two US meat plants, and the USDA wants to reduce the risk of a similar outbreak occurring in the future.

Any factories that produce read-to-eat meat products, and do not follow a government-approved listeria testing programme, will be subject to greater scrutiny. The directive will affect around 1,500 meat plants.

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