According to a recent evaluation conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), many of the most commonly farmed and consumed fish in the EU are free of parasites that can infect humans, but at the same time, parasites were found in some farmed species and more data is needed to determine prevalence.

Parasites are reported in all manner of foodstuffs across the entire food supply, and they are challenging to detect and control. For risk assessment purposes, food safety personnel must be cognizant of the occurrence and significance of these foodborne organisms.
 

The World Health Organization (WHO) is updating its estimate of the global burden of foodborne illness for 2025, and researchers are calling for the inclusion of Chagas disease, which has not been considered in past estimates.

Non-cultivable foodborne pathogens, such as enteric viruses and protozoan parasites like Cyclospora, present unique challenges in our food system due to significant limitations in sampling and detection. This article covers the methodological drawbacks of current methods related to interpretation of results and public health risk, while offering alternative food safety management principles to address the prevalence of these pathogens in food.

Two ongoing studies funded by the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) are looking to improve detection and control methods for Cyclospora cayetanensis.

According to Health Canada, approximately four in ten people living in Northern Canada have been infected by the foodborne parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which is a much higher rate than is seen in Southern Canada.

Berries sold in Norway tested positive for several parasites between 2019 and 2020, suggesting that better contamination control is needed.

The journal Parasite Epidemiology and Control recently published a study that analyzed information from 35 European countries, broken down by five different regions. 

The British Poultry Council targets supply-side issues that are critical to keeping poultry meat safe.

Officials from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have published a document highlighting ways to avoid the risks from foodborne parasites transmitted by pork, freshwater fish, and crustaceans.