In 2022 Ardo RV recalled fruit berry mix because HAV had been found on the product (FSA, 2022). How could this happen?
The main reservoir for HAV is us, humans, and transmission is primarily by the faecal-oral route. Reminds me of a Podcast I listen to ‘Don’t Eat Poop’ (I highly recommend it for entertaining discussions on current food safety news).
At the primary level, potential causes for HAV contamination of berries may include (not exhaustive):
- Infected food handlers working whilst ill, causing contamination of produce or food contact equipment, for example, when packing fruit or removing stems.
- Lack of hygiene, hand-washing, and sanitary controls.
- Undertaking overhead spraying with sewage-polluted irrigation water, which could contaminate the surface of the berries.
- Use of contaminated water for washing, hydro cooling, and icing.
- Ongoing challenges associated with training sporadic seasonal workers and maintaining Good Agricultural and Hygiene practices.
HAV can survive on surfaces for months. Berries are often consumed as raw ready-to-eat products, meaning contamination at an earlier point in the supply chain could lead to consumer infection.
So… what controls could be put in place (not exhaustive):
- Health screening of workers for HAV and/or vaccination. There would be ethical concerns in making this mandatory, but educational campaigns may be used to increase uptake.
- Regular sampling to test the microbiological quality of the irrigation water source.
- Using sub-surface irrigation methods.
- Provide accessible hand washing and toilet facilities.
- Education and training of food handlers to influence attitudes and behaviours.
- Blanching before freezing to reduce microbial loads.
- Conventional industrial practices that maintain bacteriological safety, such as washing, freeze-drying and frozen storage, have limited efficacy in controlling viral-contaminated produce. Whilst further research into its effectiveness is required, High-Pressure Processing (HPP) may be a possible treatment method to inactivate viral agents whilst maintaining their quality, safety, and shelf life.
References
Di Cola, G. et al. (2021) “Foodborne transmission of hepatitis A and hepatitis E viruses: A literature review,” International Journal of Food Microbiology, 338, p. 108986. Available at: https://lnkd.in/ewydnj2D
Food Standards Agency (2022) "Ardo NV recalls Ardo Fruitberry mix because Hepatitis A has been found in the product".
Lafarga, T. et al. (2019). “Strategies to reduce microbial risk and improve quality of fresh and processed strawberries: A Review,” Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 52, pp. 197–212. Available at: https://lnkd.in/eqe3srJQ