Reminder to boil frozen berries prior to consumption
We want to remind consumers of the advice from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) to wash fresh berries and boil frozen berries for one minute prior to consumption. Don’t forget to do this for berries that are added into smoothies.
A number of outbreaks of hepatitis A and norovirus in Ireland and Europe have been linked to imported frozen berries in recent years. The largest of these was a prolonged hepatitis A outbreak, from 2013 to 2014, involving over 1,500 cases in 13 EU/EEA countries, including Ireland.
Similar hepatitis A outbreaks linked to imported frozen berries have been reported in Europe since then, in both Sweden and Austria in 2018.
More recently, 65 cases linked to the same hepatitis A strain as in Sweden and Austria were identified in Germany between October 2018 and January 2020. 27 of these cases reported consuming frozen strawberry cake. Investigations revealed that a Polish producer who was involved in the outbreaks in Sweden and Austria had received frozen strawberries from a wholesaler in Egypt, who had also delivered frozen strawberries to the frozen strawberry cake producer. For full access to the article click here.
For further information please see the FSAI and HPSC webpages below:
• FSAI advice to boil frozen imported berries
• HPSC Hepatitis A frequently asked questions