Fernando Spilki, Vice-Rector of Research, Postgraduate Studies and Extension at Feevale University, is a member of the expert committee that prepared the document

In September 2023, a meeting convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in Rome (Italy), aimed to update the guidelines for the prevention of human enteric viruses in food. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) brought together experts from around the world, including the Vice-Rector of Research, Postgraduate Studies and Extension at Feevale University, Fernando Spilki. The report Microbiological risk assessment of viruses in foods: part 1: food attribution, analytical methods and indicators: meeting report, the result of the researchers' work, has been released.

The expert committee reviewed the literature and available surveillance databases and classified foodborne viruses according to frequency and severity, as well as the relevant food products of greatest public health concern. It also discussed virus testing methods used for outbreak investigation and product testing as part of surveillance and monitoring strategies, as well as reviewed current and potential indicators of viral contamination.

The main objective of the document is to provide guidance on how to prevent or minimize the presence of human enteric viruses* in food, more specifically hepatitis A and E viruses and noroviruses. With the emerging issues associated with foodborne viruses and recent scientific developments, FAO felt the need to update the information on foodborne viruses and food products that pose the greatest public health concern.

According to Spilki, the discussion on the issue of virus transmission in food was restarted within the FAO and WHO after several years. “This joint work shows that, without a doubt, intervention measures are necessary, that some viruses should receive a higher level of attention and monitoring in this context and that this is a valid effort to promote safer food in the 21st century”, he explains. “The volume provides a detailed explanation of these concepts and perspectives, which may be of interest to decision-makers in public health, food production chains and health professionals in general”, adds the pro-rector.

The document is available at http://bit.ly/3Oung7Q.

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that works to combat hunger and poverty by improving food security and agricultural development.

• Viruses that multiply in the gastrointestinal tract and can be transmitted through water and food