The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) has published its extensive review of viruses in the food chain.
The report, which is available online, considered the most important viruses associated with foodborne infections – norovirus, hepatitis A, and hepatitis E.
It makes a number of recommendations for government departments, including the need for more research in certain areas, and for clear advice for consumers, for example on cooking shellfish and pork products and information on washing leafy green vegetables and soft fruit.
The UK government will respond in due course when the recommendations have been considered in detail.
“Until recently it has been difficult to assess accurately the impact of foodborne viruses on public health,” says Professor Sarah O’Brien, chair of the ACMSF.
“However, significant advances in our ability to detect viruses in food, coupled with up- to-date estimates of the burden of illness, highlighted in the ACMSF’s latest update, show us that viruses are very important, preventable causes of foodborne illness.”
