Ready-to-eat or minimally processed foodstuffs of plant and animal origins have become very popular among consumers. Outbreaks caused by the pathogens originating from nonprocessed foods can cause diseases and even deaths in many industrial countries around the world. Due to new dietary habits of consumers, in recent years, outbreaks caused by newly emerging or neglected bacteria, viruses, and parasites appear in addition to be established and largely traced food-borne pathogens (especially bacteria). Deepening of knowledge about the circulation of food-borne pathogens, routes, and vehicles of infection/contamination is essential for food safety. One of the key aspects to reach this goal is to understand the role of the environment in the wider sense as the reservoir of pathogens for the vegetable contamination.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will provide new information about the spread of emerging and neglected viral, bacterial, and parasitical pathogens in food with special attention to ready-to-eat foodstuffs. We are particularly interested in the revealing of sources and pathogens in the environment and water and in routes to contamination of foodstuffs.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Newly emerging and reemerging viral, bacterial, and parasitical pathogens spread by foodstuffs
• Detection and identification of food-borne pathogens by modern methods
• Circulation of pathogens in the environmental reservoirs such as water or food animals
• Farming and technological processing of ready-to-eat products in order to decrease the possibility of the contamination
• Control strategies of food borne pathogens in ready-to-eat foods