Ready-to-Eat (RTE) foods have contributed to an increase of food-borne disease outbreaks over the last 20 years as eating out becomes more popular. As part of a food safety monitoring survey in the ACT, 2169 RTE food samples were examined over a 12 year period (2002-2014). This study will summarise the results and look for trends related to the microbiological status of RTE foods for the 12 year period. The RTE food survey examined RTE foods obtained for the following microorganisms; Salmonella spp. Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, coagulase positive Staphylococcus and E. coli. Foods were categorised as satisfactory, marginal, unsatisfactory or potentially hazardous depending on microbiological status according to the RTE guidelines issued by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand. Low levels of food-borne pathogenic bacteria were isolated (Salmonella (0.04%), Listeria (2.0%), Staphylococcus (3.0%), Bacillus (6.0%) and E. coli (7.0%)) over the course of the study. Sushi and salad were the two food groups that consistently performed poorly, with 29.0 % and 15.1 % of isolated pathogenic bacteria recovered from these foods respectively. The data shows a generalised trend of improvement. The continuous monitoring and surveillance will provide ongoing information for public health authorities on the microbiological status of ready to eat foods available for purchase in the Australian Capital Territory.