High-moisture, low-acid cheeses, e.g., soft, Hispanic-style cheese, have been shown to support growth of Listeria monocytogenes during refrigerated storage. Previous studies have suggested that both acid type and pH are important to inhibit growth. Furthermore, cultured milk or sugars can be added as clean label ingredients to inhibit microbial growth. A third strategy is to utilize protective cultures to directly generate antimicrobial compounds that could be found in fermentates. For the first objective, model cheeses were prepared with direct acidification using 4 acid types (citric, lactic, acetic, propionic), 4 pH values (5.25, 5.50, 5.75, 6.00), 2 moisture levels (50, 56%), and single salt level (1.25%). Batches were inoculated with L. monocytogenes and stored at 4°C for 8 weeks. All citric acid cheeses (pH > 5.25) supported L. monocytogenes growth within 1–2 weeks. Lactic acid model cheeses supported L. monocytogenes growth at pH ≥ 5.50 within 1–4 weeks, but pH 5.25 prevented growth for 8 weeks. Acetic and propionic acid inhibited growth at pH < 5.75 for the duration of the study. Objective 2 tested 3 commercial fermentates (0.5, 1.0%) to enhance the inhibition in lactic acid cheese (pH 6.0, 56% moisture, 1.25% salt). All 3 fermentates delayed growth compared with the control, but only the cultured sugar-vinegar blend (containing acetic acid) inhibited growth for 8 weeks. Objective 3 tested 3 commercial protective cultures as adjuncts; none of the 3 cultures prevented listerial growth compared with the control for longer than 1 week at 4°C. The protective cultures were not effective at 4°C, whereas previous studies have shown that adjunct cultures are effective when cheese is temperature abused. These differences are likely due to the low rate of metabolism of the commercial cultures compared with L. monocytogenes at 4°C. These data confirm that acetic acid has greater inhibitory properties than lactic acid, and that modifying pH or the addition of a cultured sugar-vinegar blend will significantly influence L. monocytogenes growth. Additional study needs to be completed to identify protective cultures with the ability to produce antimicrobial components in soft cheeses stored at refrigeration temperatures.