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I.L.A. Boxman
Bivalve Molluscs, Product Information, and Consumer
Awareness
It is recommended that growing areas for bivalve molluscs be registered for
a 2 month period prior to harvest and that harvest areas also be registered.
Furthermore, the competent authority should give consideration to labeling bivalve
molluscs, so that the consumers are adequately informed with respect to their safety
regarding possible viral contaminations; whether they are raw or treated.
Training
Food handlers engaged in food growing, harvesting or processing who come directly
or indirectly in contact with foods should be trained or instructed to a level
appropriate to the operations they are to perform. Recommendations are given in
the document on the content of training programmes, which should be extensive
and given to all new personnel and also to inspectors or other relevant authorities
who inspect fields or premises. Also responsibilities of food business operators,
managers and employers on their role in the control of viruses have been described.
Incorporation of these instructions into the National Codes of Hygienic Practice
would be advisable.
Bivalve Molluscs and Training
Personnel involved in the growing and harvesting of bivalve molluscs should have
appropriate training in control measures to prevent fecal contamination of growing
and harvesting areas, control measures to prevent bivalve molluscs from becoming
contaminated by contagious food handlers and should be made aware of the lack of
correlation between bacterial indicators and viral contamination.
Present Status of the Codex Document on Viruses
The proposed guidelines were distributed as document CX/FH 11/43/4 in October
2011 and was discussed at the 43rd Session of CCFH in Miami, United States of
America, 5–9 December 2011 (Anon. 2011a, b). Suggestions to improve the text
of the document before and during the meeting were discussed, and when agreed
on, these were incorporated in the text. In brief these changes were: the insertion
of a description of non-enveloped viruses (Introduction); editorial changes in the
description of analytical methods and their limitations (Introduction), the omission
I.L.A. Boxman
Bivalve Molluscs, Product Information, and Consumer
Awareness
It is recommended that growing areas for bivalve molluscs be registered for
a 2 month period prior to harvest and that harvest areas also be registered.
Furthermore, the competent authority should give consideration to labeling bivalve
molluscs, so that the consumers are adequately informed with respect to their safety
regarding possible viral contaminations; whether they are raw or treated.
Training
Food handlers engaged in food growing, harvesting or processing who come directly
or indirectly in contact with foods should be trained or instructed to a level
appropriate to the operations they are to perform. Recommendations are given in
the document on the content of training programmes, which should be extensive
and given to all new personnel and also to inspectors or other relevant authorities
who inspect fields or premises. Also responsibilities of food business operators,
managers and employers on their role in the control of viruses have been described.
Incorporation of these instructions into the National Codes of Hygienic Practice
would be advisable.
Bivalve Molluscs and Training
Personnel involved in the growing and harvesting of bivalve molluscs should have
appropriate training in control measures to prevent fecal contamination of growing
and harvesting areas, control measures to prevent bivalve molluscs from becoming
contaminated by contagious food handlers and should be made aware of the lack of
correlation between bacterial indicators and viral contamination.
Present Status of the Codex Document on Viruses
The proposed guidelines were distributed as document CX/FH 11/43/4 in October
2011 and was discussed at the 43rd Session of CCFH in Miami, United States of
America, 5–9 December 2011 (Anon. 2011a, b). Suggestions to improve the text
of the document before and during the meeting were discussed, and when agreed
on, these were incorporated in the text. In brief these changes were: the insertion
of a description of non-enveloped viruses (Introduction); editorial changes in the
description of analytical methods and their limitations (Introduction), the omission