“…Foodborne disease outbreaks linked with RTE foods have been associated with various foodborne pathogens (Gibbons, Adesiyun, Seepersadsingh, and Rahaman, 2006;Gilbreth et al, 2005). The initial microbiological load on RTE food ingredients is important, however, factors such as handling, processing, storage and display may influence the microbiological load of RTE foods at the point of sale (Angelidis et al, 2006;Beuchat and Ryu, 1997).…”