Yahoo Lifestyle Which Berries Are Most Likely To Carry Viruses? A Food Safety Expert Breaks It Down Amid New FDA Rules
In a perfect world, you’d blissfully add berries to your smoothies and yogurts without a second thought. In reality, berries come with a very real risk of contamination with certain foodborne illnesses.
Because of this, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on January 17 that the agency is implementing a new strategy to lower the risk of certain viruses ending up in your berries. They're currently looking to "promote high rates of compliance with FDA food safety requirements," "broaden scientific knowledge of of viruses," and "incentivize industry and governments to embrace the use of public health prevention measures through immunization programs to promote worker health," according to a FDA release.
So, what kind of berries are most likely to be contaminated and, more importantly, how can you stay safe? A food safety expert breaks it down.
Meet the expert: Darin Detwiler, LPD, author of the book Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions and a professor at Northeastern University.
Which viruses are most likely to end up in berries?
The biggest concerns surround norovirus and hepatitis A, and the FDA’s new strategy specifically works to prevent both of those from ending up on your fruit.
In case you’re not familiar with these viruses, norovirus causes vomiting and diarrhea (sometimes at the same time), while hepatitis A impacts the liver and can cause diarrhea, fatigue, joint pain, and yellow skin or eyes.
Which kind of berries are most likely to be contaminated?
While all berries are potentially at risk of contamination, frozen berries seem to be the most risky. In fact, frozen berries have the “highest global health public burden” for spreading certain viruses, according to a joint panel from United Nations and World Health Organization.
“While the overall risk of contracting a virus from frozen berries remains relatively low, the persistence of viruses like norovirus and hepatitis A in frozen conditions is concerning,” says Darin Detwiler, LPD, author of the book Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions and a professor at Northeastern University. “Freezing preserves these viruses, allowing them to remain infectious upon consumption.”
How can I prevent contamination in berries?
The problem with contamination in berries is that these fruits are hand-harvested by people who may not have access to proper hygiene facilities or proper training, Detwiler says. As a result, if a worker who picks berries has norovirus or hepatitis A and doesn’t properly clean their hands, they can transfer those viruses to your berries.
Making things even more complicated is that both of these viruses are “highly resilient,” which means they’re tough to kill. Given that berries are also hard to wash without damaging the fruit, keeping them free of contamination usually starts from the time they’re picked, Detwiler says. (However, it's important to note that there haven’t been a ton of outbreaks linked to berries, especially in fruits that were grown in the U.S.)
That said, research has found that using a mix of water—along with fruit and vegetable sanitizers that contain peroxyacetic acid and hydrogen peroxide—can help reduce levels of norovirus and hepatitis A on fruit. So it might be worth picking up a fruit rinse before you eat these.
"Even if the berries say 'pre-washed,' still always wash them," Detwiler says.
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