Two dozen people were sickened in the Netherlands after eating blueberries contaminated with hepatitis A.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said it received 24 reports of people who very likely contracted hepatitis A from frozen blueberries. This is double the number of cases since the outbreak was announced.
Continue Reading Cases double in Dutch Hepatitis A outbreak
The FDA has developed a new strategy to prevent the contamination of fresh and frozen berries with viruses such as hepatitis A and norovirus.
“Collaboration between regulators, the global berry industry, and other interest holders has been critical for the development of this strategy. We look forward to ongoing collaboration
Continue Reading FDA announces new strategy to prevent contamination of fresh and frozen berries
At least a dozen people have been sickened in the Netherlands after eating blueberries contaminated with hepatitis A.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) received reports of patients with hepatitis A from two Municipal Health Services (GGD) in the south and southwest of the Netherlands.
Patients
Continue Reading Frozen blueberries linked to Dutch hepatitis A infections
WHO and FAO have published the full report of an exercise that ranked foodborne viruses according to frequency and severity.
The first part of the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) meetings focused on food attribution, analytical methods, and indicators.
Experts reviewed the scientific literature
Continue Reading WHO and FAO published a report ranking foodborne viruses
New Zealand Food Safety has issued new import rules for frozen berries that aim to help keep citizens safe and improve processes at the border.
Changes will come into effect on Aug. 1, and importers have 18 months until Jan. 31, 2026, to transition to the modified requirements.
From 2022
Continue Reading New Zealand sets revised frozen berry import rules
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has been told by auditors to improve its oversight of food importers.
The Auditor-General in New Zealand examined how well the MPI was monitoring importers of foods that pose a greater risk to consumers. Some of these high-risk foods, including frozen berries and tahini, have
Continue Reading MPI told to improve food import supervision
Food authorities in New Zealand are looking at strengthening the import requirements for frozen berries.
New Zealand Food Safety is inviting comments on proposals that include changing the imported food category of frozen berries from “increased regulatory interest (IRI)” to “high regulatory interest (HRI).”
The new rules would apply to
Continue Reading New Zealand plans changes to frozen berry import rules
Experts have named norovirus the leading cause of viral foodborne illness, followed by Hepatitis A and Hepatitis E.
Hepatitis A and E viruses were ranked equally but higher compared to norovirus in terms of clinical severity by scientists at a recent meeting organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and
Continue Reading Norovirus tops expert ranking of foodborne viruses
A hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen berries has sickened almost 60 people in Germany across two years.
A total of 55 sequence-confirmed cases and four probable infections have been identified from 10 federal states, according to the Robert Koch Institut (RKI).
In January 2022, RKI was informed about eight
Continue Reading Germany hit by 3-year hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen berries
— OPINION —
Soft fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and berry blends play an important part of an overall healthy diet. While millions of servings are consumed safely every day, they continue to be occasionally linked to hepatitis A (HAV) and norovirus outbreaks around the globe.
Investigation of a recent
Continue Reading Is mandatory testing the best approach for managing hepatitis A in berries?