Two outbreaks of Hepatitis A virus infections associated with packed frozen strawberries and frozen pomegranate arils occurred during the second quarter of this year, according to international food safety statistics.
The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), which is managed by the
Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO), detailed the Hepatitis A outbreaks in its quarterly report. The group of national authorities said the outbreaks involved countries across three regions.“The current outbreaks serve as a reminder of the ongoing risk of spreading HAV (Hepatitis A virus) through frozen fruits and the challenges associated with their prevention and control,” said INFOSAN.From April through June the INFOSAN Secretariat was involved in 16 international food safety events involving 32 WHO Member States, three associate WHO Member States and six areas/territories of WHO Member States. There were also 16 events was the same number of incidents that the network was involved in for the first quarter of this year.There were 13 notices in Q2 involving biological hazards:
Salmonella seven notices;
E. coli two notices;
Hepatitis A two notices; and
Unspecified microbial hazard two notices.
INFOSAN reported there were two events from chemical hazards in 2Q, one involving heavy metals and the other involving mycotoxins. There was one notice regarding undeclared peanuts, which is a known allergen.Salmonella, Hepatitis A and undeclared peanut allergen notices were also reported by the network in Q1 2018.Food categories involved in Q2 outbreaks included cereals and cereal-based products, fruit and fruit products, herbs, spices and condiments, snacks, desserts and other foods with two notices each. There were also outbreaks associated with eggs and egg products, fish and other seafood, foods for infants and small children, legumes and pulses, milk or dairy products, nuts and oilseeds and sugar and confectionary, all with one notice.In April, the INFOSAN Secretariat presented on the outbreak of Salmonella agona infections in France linked to Lactalis infant formula at the International Association for Food Protection’s (IAFP) European Symposium on Food Safety in Stockholm, Sweden.In May, INFOSAN staff participated in the 11th Global Microbial Identifier meeting on the impact of whole genome sequencing (WGS) on global health and microbiology in Geneva, Switzerland.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here)
Prior to reporting for Food Safety News, Whitworth worked for William Reed as editor of Food Quality News before becoming food safety editor for Food Navigator. He was named in the Top 40 Food Safety Professionals Under 40 in 2023.
Authorities in Lithuania are investigating two cases of foodborne botulism linked to fish sold at a market.
The State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) conducted an inspection at a market
Parents in Arizona are reporting that their children became infected with E. coli after interaction with animals at the Arizona State Fair petting zoo.
A non-profit group that works with
A Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak traced to eggs that sickened more than 100 people has been declared over by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There were 105 confirmed patients
Rwanda has lifted a ban on some South African food products that was put in place in 2017 because of a Listeria outbreak that sickened more than 1,000 people.
A Salmonella outbreak in the UK that has sickened more than 120 people could be linked to imported eggs, according to initial investigations.
The link to eggs was made through
Authorities in Ukraine have uncovered the manufacture and sale of food products made to mimic well-known brands.
Detectives from the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU)
A deadly E. coli outbreak in Germany remains unsolved despite more than 400 people falling ill and three deaths.
In August 2025, an outbreak caused by enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)
An analysis of major Salmonella types across several countries has revealed they are mainly linked to various livestock sources.
Scientists estimated the contributions of several potential sources of human infection
