Prone to contamination? FDA updates food safety protocol for fresh and frozen berries
safefoodmitra.com · 2025-01-29 10:33:49
The FDA recently announced the changes in a ‘prevention strategy’ to keep fresh
and frozen berries from being contaminated with enteric viruses. Enteric viruses
are viruses that can infect the intestines, causing symptoms like nausea, diarrhea,
and stomach pain. These include illnesses like norovirus and hepatitis A.
While there have been no enteric virus outbreaks linked with berries grown in the
U.S. over the last 35 years, the FDA points out that there have been outbreaks
linked to imported fresh and frozen berries.
Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns
Hopkins Center for Health Security; Benjamin Chapman, Ph.D., food safety expert
and department head of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State
University