FOOD safety AGENCIES

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus. You can get norovirus from:

• Having direct contact with an infected person
• Consuming contaminated food or water
• Touching contaminated surfaces then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth

You can get norovirus illness many times in your life because there are many different types of noroviruses. Infection with one type of norovirus may not protect you against other types. It is possible to develop immunity to (protection against) specific types. But, it is not known exactly how long immunity lasts. This may explain why so many people of all ages get infected during norovirus outbreaks. Also, whether you are susceptible to norovirus infection is also determined in part by your genes.

You can help protect yourself and others from norovirus by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water and following other simple prevention tips.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water

• especially after using the toilet or changing diapers
• always before eating, preparing, or handling food, and
• before giving yourself or someone else medicine.

Norovirus can be found in your vomit or poop even before you start feeling sick. The virus can stay in your poop for 2 weeks or more after you feel better. It is important to continue washing your hands often during this time.

You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers in addition to hand washing. But, you should not use hand sanitizer as a substitute for washing your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers aren’t as effective as washing hands with soap and water at removing norovirus particles.

Food defense is the protection of food products from intentional contamination or adulteration by biological, chemical, physical, or radiological agents introduced for the purpose of causing harm. It addresses additional concerns including physical, personnel and operational security.

Food safety and food defense are ongoing issues and it is critical that they be integrated to the maximum extent possible in order to ensure the most efficient use of resources as well as optimizing response to a contamination event. FDA is committed to this approach in order to make optimal use of both human and financial resources to protect public health.

The ALERT message is designed to provide a concise and consistent approach to food defense awareness that is generic enough for use at any point in the food supply chain from farm to retail or foodservice establishment. It is a new initiative launched by the FDA in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the USDA, and state and local organizations representing food, public health, and agriculture interests. ALERT is an acronym that stands for Assure, Look, Employees, Reports and Threat. It is linked to five questions designed to raise awareness within the food sector with regard to important food defense issues such as product security and reporting of suspicious behavior.

If the product details in the recall notice match the details on the food product you have at home, do not open or consume the product. Instead, do one of the following:

• Return the product to the place of purchase for a refund.
• Dispose of the product following the instructions provided in the recall notice to make sure no one will consume it.