Research Publications (Food Safety)

Infection with hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV-3) is an emerging cause of illness in developed countries. In North America and Europe, HEV-3 has been increasingly detected in swine, and exposure to pigs and pork products is considered the primary source of infection. We have previously demonstrated the prevalence of the HEV-3 genome in commercial pork products in Canada.

There is limited examination about COVID-19-related food handling concerns and practices that cause chemical or microbial contamination and illness, particularly among those with food insecurity. We investigated consumer food handling concerns and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they differed by food insecurity status. An online survey was distributed among Chicago, Illinois residents between July 15-August 21, 2020 (N=437).

A group of experts from all Canadian federal food safety partners was formed to monitor the potential issues relating to SARS-CoV-2 food contamination, to gather and consider all of the relevant evidence and to determine the impact for Canadian food safety.

Federally funded school meals can help alleviate food insecurity and meals are required to be modified when medically necessary (i.e., food allergies, special diets). The COVID-19 pandemic caused many schools across the USA to close, but schools quickly modified meal serving models. The purpose of this study was to understand how school nutrition professionals were ensuring food safety and providing special diets through these modified serving models.

In light of extended stay-at-home periods during the COVID-19 pandemic, recent societal trends have revealed an increased use of online media to remain connected. Simultaneously, interests in at-home cooking and baking, particularly of ‘comfort foods’ have increased. Since flour is a crucial component in many of these products, we analyze how the U.S. public, in social and online media space, references “flour” and its use.

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading causative agent of foodborne outbreaks and is associated with the second most prevalent cause of waterborne infections in the United States.

Imported berries have contributed to U.S. hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections. Minimal processing by freeze-drying is preferred by industry for preserving food quality, but virus inactivation by this process may be limited. This study investigated HAV survival on strawberries during 24-h freeze-drying followed by 22 ° C-storage.

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the US food supply and consumer behavior. Food production and processing are being disrupted as illnesses, proactive quarantines, and government-mandated movement restrictions cause labor shortages. In this environment, the food industry has been required to adopt new, additional practices to minimize the risk of COVID-19 cases and outbreaks among its workforce.

The human noroviruses are major causes of nonbacterial gastroenteritis, and are transmitted by both food and water, as well as via a person-to-person route. Asymptomatic norovirus infection of food handlers may play a role in transmission. The outbreak of noroviruses infections has been recognized in PyeongChang Winter Olympics, starting with security staffs from February 3, 2018.

Toxoplasma gondii , hepatitis E virus (HEV) and Salmonella are zoonotic foodborne pathogens that may be transmitted to humans through the consumption of raw or undercooked pork.  The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti- Toxoplasma gondii , anti-HEV and anti- Salmonella antibodies from healthy pigs at slaughter in Switzerland.

At present, SARS-CoV-2 has not been shown to be transmitted through food, even so the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how consumers view food and food safety. This study assessed consumer food safety practices during the COVID-19 pandemic using (1) surveys and (2) online focus group discussions. From April to August 2020, five waves of surveys were distributed to an online U.S. consumer panel and screened to include only primary food preparers and grocery shoppers.

Although SARS-CoV-2 is not a proven foodborne pathogen, the COVID-19 pandemic has put the food system on alert. Food safety is identified as an important pillar in mitigating the crisis. Therefore, understanding how popular media are used as a vital disseminator of food safety and health information for public use is more important than ever.

During the 2014–2018 seasons, we conducted a longitudinal study involving enteric virus surveillance in bivalves, including natural oysters and clams harvested in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Some norovirus (NoV) contaminations were detected in natural oysters, while no enteric virus was found in clams. NoV detected in oysters were of the genotypes GII.4 and GII.6, which are closely related genetically to the NoV strains prevalent in humans.

Refugee camps provide basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, and medical treatment for displaced persons. Unsanitary conditions in refugee camps due to overcrowding, poor sanitation systems, lack of clean water, minimal ways to cook and store food can lead to an increased risk of foodborne illness. This article reviews the limited literature on the epidemiology of foodborne illness in refugee camps, effective risk mitigation strategies and opportunities for future research.

Plant-derived proteases, bromelain, papain, and ficin are broad-acting enzymes with generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status for foods and have current application in several food industries. These proteases have also been reported to have antimicrobial properties.

Norovirus food poisoning outbreaks in Korea (South) appeared in 2000s and have been increasing since then. We aimed to investigate the epidemiological features of norovirus food poisoning outbreaks in Korea over the past years (2002 ~ 2017), based on official food poisoning statistics and available reports, and to find their association with climate factors. Norovirus was the most common cause of food poisoning among known causative substances in Korea during the study period.

In Japan, strategies for ensuring food safety have been developed without reliable scientific evidence on the relation between foodborne infections and foods. The aim of this research was to provide information on the proportions of foodborne diseases caused by seven major causative pathogens ( Campylobacte r spp., Salmonella spp., EHEC, V. parahaemolyticus , Clostridium perfringens , Staphylococcus aureus , and Norovirus) attributable to foods using analysis of outbreak surveillance data.

The surface of iceberg lettuce (Lactuca sativa  L.) is favorable to the survival of pathogens like bacteria, parasites, and viruses such as Norovirus.

Human noroviruses are enteric pathogens causing a substantial proportion of acute gastroenteritis cases worldwide, irrespective of background variables such as age, ethnicity or gender. Although person-to-person contact is the general route of transmission, foodborne infections are also common. Thorough cooking eliminates noroviruses, but several food products such as berries, leafy vegetables or mollusks undergo only limited heat treatment, if any, before consumption.

The Florida Complaint and Outbreak Reporting System (FL-CORS) database is used by the Florida Department of Health’s Food and Waterborne Disease Program (FWDP) as one of the tools to detect foodborne disease outbreaks. We present a descriptive and spatial network analysis of the FL-CORS data collected during 2015-2018.

Hospital-acquired infections caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli are a global problem. Healthy people can carry ESBL-producing E. coli in their intestines; thus, E. coli from healthy people can potentially cause hospital-acquired infections. Therefore, the transmission routes of ESBL-producing E. coli from healthy persons should be determined.A foodborne outbreak of human norovirus GII (HuNoV) occurred at a restaurant in Shizuoka, Japan, in 2018. E.

Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, and restaurants are the most common setting of foodborne norovirus outbreaks. Therefore, prevention and control of restaurant-related foodborne norovirus outbreaks is critical to lowering the burden of foodborne illness in the United States.

Foodborne viral contamination of fresh produce has been associated with numerous outbreaks. Detection of such contaminated foods is important for protecting public health. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the capability of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Enteric Viruses tiling microarray (FDA-EVIR) for rapid molecular identification of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and human norovirus (NoV) extracted from artificially inoculated fresh produce.

Vapor phase hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can be utilized to inactivate murine norovirus (MNV), a surrogate of human norovirus, on surface areas. However, vapor phase H2O2 inactivation of virus on fruits and vegetables has not been characterized. In this study, MNV was used to determine whether vaporized H2O2 inactivates virus on surfaces of various fruits and vegetables (apples, blueberries, cucumbers, and strawberries).

One of the major foods causing norovirus gastroenteritis is bivalve shellfish, such as oysters. Depuration and relaying methods have been used to control norovirus. However, these methods may be inadequate to control norovirus gastroenteritis.