READY-TO-EAT FOOD IN U.S. RETAIL SETTINGS RAISES NUMEROUS FOOD-SAFETY CONCERNS, INVOLVING BOTH THE PRESENCE OF FOODBORNE DISEASE ORGANISMS, AND THOSE ORGANISMS' TENDENCY TO CROSS-CONTAMINATE, E.G., PASS FROM ONE FOOD TO ANOTHER. CAUSED MOSTLY BY LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES BACTERIA, LISTERIOSIS IS THE FOODBORNE ILLNESS WITH THE HIGHEST RATES OF HOSPITALIZATION AND MORTALITY. DELI MEATS, DELI SALADS, SMOKED SEAFOOD, AND CHEESES ARE THE U.S.'S HIGHEST-RISK FOODS PER SERVING FOR THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL DISEASE. IN ADDITION, SALMONELLA STRAINS ARE COMMONLY FOUND IN RETAIL SETTINGS. THIS PROJECT WILL THEREFORE INVESTIGATE HOW WELL A MICROPLASMA-BASED FAR-UVC SYSTEM - I.E., A LAMP EMITTING ULTRAVIOLET (UV) LIGHT WITH A WAVELENGTH OF 222 NANOMETERS (NM) - INACTIVATES THE ABOVE-MENTIONED BACTERIA IN LIQUID, ON FOOD-CONTACT SURFACES, AND ON DELI MEATS. IF IT IS EFFECTIVE, WE WILL ALSO LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF THIS TREATMENT ON THE PRODUCTS' QUALITY, AS MEASURED BY THEIR COLOR AND LIPID OXIDATION. CONVENTIONAL UVC LIGHT, GENERALLY AT 254 NM, IS OFTEN USED FOR DECONTAMINATION, BUT CAN POTENTIALLY LEAD TO EYE OR SKIN DAMAGE, AND IS PRODUCED BY LAMPS CONTAINING TOXIC MERCURY. FAR-UVC LIGHT, ON THE OTHER HAND, DOES NOT DAMAGE MAMMALIAN CELLS (AT THE SAME DOSAGES THAT DO CAUSE DAMAGE IN THE 254 NM CASE) AND REQUIRES NO MERCURY. THESE ADVANTAGES COULD ENABLE DECONTAMINATION WHILE WORKERS AND/OR CONSUMERS ARE PRESENT. AS SUCH, THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROJECT WOULD PROVIDE AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO AN EASY-TO-USE ENGINEERED APPROACH FOR MINIMIZING CROSS-CONTAMINATION AND IMPROVING OVERALL FOOD SAFETY.