Updated Assessment of State Food Safety Laws for Norovirus Outbreak Prevention in the United States

Foodborne norovirus outbreaks are often associated with food contamination during preparation by an ill employee. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code outlines food safety provisions to prevent illness transmission in food establishments. An updated full version of the Food Code is releas...

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Main Authors: Anita K. Kambhampati, E. Rickamer Hoover, Lisa A. Landsman, Beth C. Wittry, Laura G. Brown, Sara A. Mirza
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Food Protection
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X25000535
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author Anita K. Kambhampati
E. Rickamer Hoover
Lisa A. Landsman
Beth C. Wittry
Laura G. Brown
Sara A. Mirza
author_facet Anita K. Kambhampati
E. Rickamer Hoover
Lisa A. Landsman
Beth C. Wittry
Laura G. Brown
Sara A. Mirza
author_sort Anita K. Kambhampati
collection DOAJ
description Foodborne norovirus outbreaks are often associated with food contamination during preparation by an ill employee. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code outlines food safety provisions to prevent illness transmission in food establishments. An updated full version of the Food Code is released every four years; adoption of specific provisions is at the discretion of state governments.Food safety laws of the 50 states and District of Columbia (51 jurisdictions) were assessed for adoption as of March 2020, of four norovirus-related provisions included in the 2017 Food Code: (1) prohibition of barehand contact with ready-to-eat (RTE) food, (2) exclusion of food employees with vomiting or diarrhea, (3) person in charge being a certified food protection manager (CFPM), and (4) written response plan for vomiting or diarrheal events. We compared the frequency of adoption of the 2017 Food Code provisions to a previous assessment of adoption of these provisions in the 2013 Food Code.Prohibition of barehand contact with RTE food was adopted by 45 jurisdictions (88%), an increase from 39 jurisdictions (76%) in the previous analysis. Forty jurisdictions (78%) required exclusion of food employees with vomiting or diarrhea for ≥24 h after symptom cessation, an increase from 30 jurisdictions (59%). Provisions requiring the person in charge to be a CFPM and written response plan for contamination events were new to the 2017 Food Code; 5 jurisdictions (10%) required the person in charge to be a CFPM and 9 (18%) required a written response plan.Adoption of provisions prohibiting barehand contact with RTE food and requiring exclusion of ill food employees increased. Newer provisions, requiring a person in charge to be a CFPM and a written contamination response plan, were not as widely adopted. Increased adoption of Food Code provisions and improved compliance may decrease norovirus transmission in food establishments.
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spelling doaj-art-95f70ebe2d9747a59df857831f0632c72025-08-20T02:27:11ZengElsevierJournal of Food Protection0362-028X2025-04-0188510050110.1016/j.jfp.2025.100501Updated Assessment of State Food Safety Laws for Norovirus Outbreak Prevention in the United StatesAnita K. Kambhampati0E. Rickamer Hoover1Lisa A. Landsman2Beth C. Wittry3Laura G. Brown4Sara A. Mirza5National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States; Corresponding author at: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States.National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30341, United StatesOffice of Public Health Law Services, National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30341, United StatesNational Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30341, United StatesNational Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30341, United StatesNational Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, United StatesFoodborne norovirus outbreaks are often associated with food contamination during preparation by an ill employee. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code outlines food safety provisions to prevent illness transmission in food establishments. An updated full version of the Food Code is released every four years; adoption of specific provisions is at the discretion of state governments.Food safety laws of the 50 states and District of Columbia (51 jurisdictions) were assessed for adoption as of March 2020, of four norovirus-related provisions included in the 2017 Food Code: (1) prohibition of barehand contact with ready-to-eat (RTE) food, (2) exclusion of food employees with vomiting or diarrhea, (3) person in charge being a certified food protection manager (CFPM), and (4) written response plan for vomiting or diarrheal events. We compared the frequency of adoption of the 2017 Food Code provisions to a previous assessment of adoption of these provisions in the 2013 Food Code.Prohibition of barehand contact with RTE food was adopted by 45 jurisdictions (88%), an increase from 39 jurisdictions (76%) in the previous analysis. Forty jurisdictions (78%) required exclusion of food employees with vomiting or diarrhea for ≥24 h after symptom cessation, an increase from 30 jurisdictions (59%). Provisions requiring the person in charge to be a CFPM and written response plan for contamination events were new to the 2017 Food Code; 5 jurisdictions (10%) required the person in charge to be a CFPM and 9 (18%) required a written response plan.Adoption of provisions prohibiting barehand contact with RTE food and requiring exclusion of ill food employees increased. Newer provisions, requiring a person in charge to be a CFPM and a written contamination response plan, were not as widely adopted. Increased adoption of Food Code provisions and improved compliance may decrease norovirus transmission in food establishments.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X25000535Food CodeFood safetyFoodborneNorovirus
spellingShingle Anita K. Kambhampati
E. Rickamer Hoover
Lisa A. Landsman
Beth C. Wittry
Laura G. Brown
Sara A. Mirza
Updated Assessment of State Food Safety Laws for Norovirus Outbreak Prevention in the United States
Journal of Food Protection
Food Code
Food safety
Foodborne
Norovirus
title Updated Assessment of State Food Safety Laws for Norovirus Outbreak Prevention in the United States
title_full Updated Assessment of State Food Safety Laws for Norovirus Outbreak Prevention in the United States
title_fullStr Updated Assessment of State Food Safety Laws for Norovirus Outbreak Prevention in the United States
title_full_unstemmed Updated Assessment of State Food Safety Laws for Norovirus Outbreak Prevention in the United States
title_short Updated Assessment of State Food Safety Laws for Norovirus Outbreak Prevention in the United States
title_sort updated assessment of state food safety laws for norovirus outbreak prevention in the united states
topic Food Code
Food safety
Foodborne
Norovirus
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X25000535
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