Executive Summary

In recent years, viruses have been increasingly recognized as important causes of foodborne disease. Many of the documented outbreaks of foodborne viral illness have been linked to contamination of prepared, ready-to-eat food by an infected food handler.

While in many countries viruses are now considered to be an extremely common cause of foodborne illness, they are rarely diagnosed, as the analytical and diagnostic tools for such viruses are not widely available. However, much progress has been made in recent years in terms of the methodology available for detection and identification of viruses in both food and clinical samples.

 Such developments should contribute towards improving the assessment of the actual burden of foodborne disease linked to viruses, as well as improving strategies for the prevention and control of virus contamination in foods and the associated risks.

Viruses can be passed on to humans in different ways, but the major foodborne viruses are those that infect via the gastrointestinal tract and are excreted in faeces. Noroviruses (NoV) are the most common cause of foodborne viral gastroenteritis worldwide, and Hepatitis A virus (HAV), which can also be transmitted by foodborne routes, continues to pose an international health threat. The Coronaviruses, which contain an envelope. In general these viruses are persistent in the environment and are able to resist (mild) food production processes routinely used to inactivate or control bacterial pathogens in contaminated foods. In addition, some viruses may occasionally be transmitted via food, although their typical mode of transmission is different, as has been documented for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) -causing by Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and SARS-CoV2. 

In addition, foodborne contamination may be the result of infected food handlers who unknowingly transmit their infections to food. Also, viruses frequently cause extensive secondary spread, which is less common for the well known bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter.

To review existing risk profiles to food manufacturers (including the state of knowledge on current or future risk management options) and other relevant information pertinent to the evaluation of risks associated with viruses in food we need to have risk management policy.

Management of virus risks from food preparation depends on knowledge of effective hand and environmental decontamination procedures, and on conditions of virus carriage by food handlers. Data gaps exist in this area, and should be addressed to inform effective risk management. It is critical that adequate sanitary facilities are available to food handlers. Food handlers should maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and they and their supervisors must be adequately trained. In particular to outbreak of recent coronavirus outbreak additional sanitary measures, and physical distancing is required. Special challenges arise in small businesses, where one person performs all functions, and also in high turnover/low cost operations. In these cases, risk managers need to consider how to better control the unique challenges presented by viruses.

What would be the best risk management policies for food manufacturers and processes at this time of virus outbreak? In this 90 minute webinar I explain the most recent effective risk management policies to reduce or eliminate the virus spread in food facility.

In order to minimize the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in food processing facility a well-designed webinar is developed that includes wide range of best practices in general and specific to your operation. To understand more please contact email below with title request further information below. We will share our effective methods and our success in reducing food processing facilities.

Thank you so much for reading this article. If you interested to know about this webinar please drop me an email at bmarandi@bsdgroup.ca

Reference:

1. VIRUSES IN FOOD: SCIENTIFIC ADVICE TO SUPPORT RISK MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

WHO/FAO  Meeting Report: 2008

2. CDC Website on Coronavirus

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html