FSAI Reiterates Advice to Boil Imported Frozen Berries
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reiterates its advice to consumers to boil all imported frozen berries for at least one minute prior to consumption. There remains an ongoing risk in the global imported frozen berry supply chain with a number of food alerts being issued across Europe for viruses in frozen berries this year. Imported frozen berries should be boiled for at least one minute before they are eaten. This precautionary measure will destroy any viruses if they are present and is particularly important when serving these foods to vulnerable people such as nursing home residents. Foodborne viruses can cause serious illness particularly in vulnerable people.
Frozen imported berries are widely used in the food industry and distributed into the food service sector for use in cooked and ready-to-eat dishes. Therefore, food businesses using or selling imported frozen berries need to ensure that the berries they use are sourced from reputable suppliers operating effective food safety management systems and comprehensive traceability systems. As the food chain can be quite complex, it is necessary for food businesses at each stage of the food chain to seek assurances regarding the effectiveness of the food safety management systems in place from their suppliers. Food operators should assess the risk in their own business and consider the need to include boiling of imported frozen berries in their food safety management system. For more information, please see our FAQ: Berries - Advice to boil imported frozen berries
In 2018 (to date, 23rd July), there have been 2 alerts issued across Europe for hepatitis A virus and 4 alerts for norovirus in imported frozen berries. Between 2014 and 2017, there were 29 European alerts Europe regarding norovirus and four regarding hepatitis A, linked to frozen berries. In 2015, an outbreak of norovirus occurred in a Swedish nursing home causing 70 people to become ill. Three deaths were reported to have been potentially linked to this outbreak. Microbiological analysis confirmed the presence of norovirus in the frozen berries. In June 2018, an outbreak of hepatitis A virus in Sweden was linked to frozen strawberries from a Polish based processing plant. People became ill after eating smoothies or a dessert containing frozen imported strawberries that were not boiled before consumption. The same type of hepatitis A virus (genotype 1B) that caused the illness was found in a batch of frozen strawberries from the implicated processing plant.
Source: FSAI
Last three berries notifications from RASFF for viruses
28/06/18 RASFF notification from Sweden - foodborne outbreak caused by hepatitis A virus (1B) in frozen strawberries from Poland
12/06/18 RASFF notification - border rejection - hepatitis A virus in frozen strawberries from Egypt
11/05/18 RASFF notification - border rejection - norovirus (GII /25g) in frozen raspberries from Serbia
Frozen imported berries are widely used in the food industry and distributed into the food service sector for use in cooked and ready-to-eat dishes. Therefore, food businesses using or selling imported frozen berries need to ensure that the berries they use are sourced from reputable suppliers operating effective food safety management systems and comprehensive traceability systems. As the food chain can be quite complex, it is necessary for food businesses at each stage of the food chain to seek assurances regarding the effectiveness of the food safety management systems in place from their suppliers. Food operators should assess the risk in their own business and consider the need to include boiling of imported frozen berries in their food safety management system. For more information, please see our FAQ: Berries - Advice to boil imported frozen berries
In 2018 (to date, 23rd July), there have been 2 alerts issued across Europe for hepatitis A virus and 4 alerts for norovirus in imported frozen berries. Between 2014 and 2017, there were 29 European alerts Europe regarding norovirus and four regarding hepatitis A, linked to frozen berries. In 2015, an outbreak of norovirus occurred in a Swedish nursing home causing 70 people to become ill. Three deaths were reported to have been potentially linked to this outbreak. Microbiological analysis confirmed the presence of norovirus in the frozen berries. In June 2018, an outbreak of hepatitis A virus in Sweden was linked to frozen strawberries from a Polish based processing plant. People became ill after eating smoothies or a dessert containing frozen imported strawberries that were not boiled before consumption. The same type of hepatitis A virus (genotype 1B) that caused the illness was found in a batch of frozen strawberries from the implicated processing plant.
Source: FSAI
Last three berries notifications from RASFF for viruses
28/06/18 RASFF notification from Sweden - foodborne outbreak caused by hepatitis A virus (1B) in frozen strawberries from Poland
12/06/18 RASFF notification - border rejection - hepatitis A virus in frozen strawberries from Egypt
11/05/18 RASFF notification - border rejection - norovirus (GII /25g) in frozen raspberries from Serbia
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