• cross-contamination
• listeriosis
• meat products
• quantitative microbial risk assessment
• ready-to-eat foods

Listeria monocytogenes contamination in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products poses a significant public health risk, particularly for vulnerable populations. This quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) evaluates cross-contamination during retail slicing, bacterial growth during refrigerated storage, and consumer handling practices to characterize exposure and illness risk. Contamination levels on slicers, environmental factors, and consumer behaviors, including storage time, temperature, and consumption timing, were all modeled using probability distributions informed by literature to comprehensively capture variability. Experimental data on L. monocytogenes growth rates under refrigerated conditions were collected from literature and incorporated probabilistically to include strain and product heterogeneity. Uncertainty associated with model inputs was quantified through two-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation combined with sensitivity analysis. Results identified slicer hygiene and consumption timing as key determinants of risk, with elderly consumers at greatest vulnerability. Although average contamination generally remained below regulatory thresholds, worst-case scenarios involving delayed consumption exceeded safety limits (100 CFU/g). Intervention scenarios demonstrated substantial risk reductions through enhanced cleaning and sanitization protocols. These findings underscore the importance of integrated control measures and targeted consumer guidance to mitigate listeriosis risk and highlight the need for improved data collection on microbial contamination and consumer practices to refine model precision.