Food Retailers Develop Free Hepatitis A Resource to Protect Public Health

By: Adam Friedlander, MS, Manager, Food Safety and Technical Services, Food Marketing Institute

The FMI Food Protection Committee (FPC), a group of retail food safety leaders, published the Hepatitis A Information Guide for Food Retail. This resource aims to protect public health and reduce the likelihood of foodborne illness by answering common questions regarding food safety, consumer and employee risks of infections from the Hepatitis A virus in the food retail setting. 

These questions include: 

• What is Hepatitis A?
• What are the symptoms of Hepatitis A?
• How is Hepatitis A transmitted?
• Who are the most at-risk populations?
• Why is the Hepatitis A virus a concern for the retail food industry?
• How can the Hepatitis A virus be prevented?
• How should food retailers respond to a suspected or confirmed Hepatitis A diagnosis? 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), foodborne illness from Hepatitis A can be prevented by receiving the safe and highly effective Hepatitis A vaccine. FMI encourages all food handlers to receive the Hepatitis A vaccine, practice proper handwashing and good personal hygiene, develop and implement strong food safety and sanitation programs, and exclude food workers diagnosed with Hepatitis A from working in a food establishment. 

The health and safety of our customers and employees is the retail community’s top priority. We encourage retailers and wholesalers of all sizes to implement these prevention steps and work with local regulators to swiftly respond to a suspected or confirmed Hepatitis A diagnosis. 

Download the Hepatitis A Information Guide for Food Retail