Rainfall, the use of contaminated water for irrigation or for applying pesticides, and contaminated equipment are among the factors that cause contamination of berries with Salmonella and norovirus.
The 2011 report from the EFSA and ECDC has highlighted that a rise in human infections from Campylobacter and E. coli, whilst Salmonella cases continue to fall.
Recently published scientific opinion by the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) suggests that traditional poultry meat inspection may not suffice to fully address the most relevant biological hazards to public health: Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp. and ESBL/AmpC gene-carrying bacteria.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have published their annual report on zoonoses and food-borne outbreaks in the European Union for 2010. The report shows that Salmonella cases in humans fell by almost 9% in 2010, marking a decrease for the sixth consecutive year. Salmonella prevalence in poultry is also clearly declining at the EU level.
EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ Panel) concludes in its risk assessment that the most effective public health measures to protect consumers from exposure to norovirus in oysters are to produce oysters in areas which are not contaminated or to prevent contamination of mollusc production areas.
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