Norovirus has been found in berries and salad vegetables in the United Kingdom.
Researchers discovered that 5.3 percent of lettuce, 2.3 percent of fresh raspberry and 3.6 percent of frozen raspberry samples tested positive for the virus. More findings will be revealed in a study, scheduled to publish in June 2019 in the journal Food Microbiology.
According to Food Safety News, noroviruses are easily passed from person to person. It can also be picked up from the environment or through eating contaminated food. The virus is the third most common cause of foodborne illnesses in the U.K.
During a 13-month period, over 1,000 samples of fresh produce sold in the U.K. were analyzed to acquire data on contamination, Food Safety News reports. Researchers found that out of 568 samples of lettuce, 30 tested positive for norovirus. Out of the 30 that tested positive, 24 were grown in the U.K. Additionally seven of 310 samples of fresh raspberries also tested positive for the virus. However, six of the samples were imported.
The data adds to the limited amount of prevalence information on norovirus in fresh produce, Food Safety News reports. The added findings also raise the question if food safety management systems are being effectively implemented throughout the global food supply chains.
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