Persistence of foodborne pathogens and their control in primary and secondary food production chains

•The review takes a whole food chain approach.•Persistence of major foodborne pathogens is addressed.•Control measures are addressed.

This review highlights factors involved in the persistence of foodborne pathogens in selected food chains and covers aspects of the basis for persistence, the consequences of persistence in terms of food safety implications, and the strategies that can be employed to combat persistence. The examples selected are Escherichia coli O157 and Salmonella at primary production of cattle and pigs, respectively, Listeria monocytogenes and Cronobacter spp. at secondary production, while persistence of Campylobacter spp. represents both primary and secondary production.