Produce

Human enteric viruses are the number one cause of food-borne outbreaks worldwide. Whether you are a producer, an importer, an exporter, a processor, a retailer or a wholesaler, taking into account the viral risk is crucial to protecting consumers. Unlike bacteria, food-borne viruses do not change the flavor or any noticeable aspect of the food products; moreover, they are hard to get rid of with the usual agro-industrial processes.

STEC are zoonotic agents i.e., pathogenic microorganisms transmitted from asymptomatic animals to humans. ‘Bovine meat and products thereof’, ‘raw milk and dairy products thereof’, ‘tap water including well water’ and ‘vegetables, fruit and products thereof’ are considered as the main sources of foodborne STEC outbreaks (FDA, 2012; EFSA, 2020 & 2021).

The Bacillus cereus group, also known as B. cereus sensu lato or “presumptive Bacillus cereus” consists of Gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming bacilli, commonly isolated from soil, other environmental and food matrices.