Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, responsible for nearly 50% of all food-related illness outbreaks. Often referred to as the “stomach flu” or “stomach bug,” norovirus is highly contagious, leading to symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.
In foodservice settings, norovirus outbreaks typically occur when infected individuals unknowingly spread the virus. This can happen through direct contact, sharing food or utensils, or when food service workers touch ready-to-eat food with bare, unwashed hands. Foods served raw or handled post-cooking are especially vulnerable to contamination, passing the virus to customers.
A norovirus outbreak can harm your reputation, put customers and employees at risk, and impact your bottom line.
In this article and video, we’ll cover what norovirus is, how it spreads, and, most importantly, how to prevent it from affecting your restaurant.
What Causes Norovirus Outbreaks in Restaurants?
Norovirus spreads through contaminated food, water, or surfaces. In a restaurant environment, the virus can be transmitted when:
- An infected worker handles food with traces of fecal matter or vomit on their hands, which then contaminates the food.
- A customer vomits in the restroom, and the contaminated surfaces aren’t cleaned properly, allowing others to come into contact with the virus.
Poor personal hygiene, cross-contamination, and ineffective cleaning are the leading causes of norovirus infections.
How to Prevent Norovirus in Your Restaurant: 9 Key Ways
To protect your restaurant from a norovirus outbreak, follow these proven prevention methods:
- Practice Proper Hand Hygiene
- Avoid Bare-Hand Contact with Food
- Store Foods Correctly
- Clean and Disinfect Frequently Touched Surfaces
- Ensure Proper Dishwashing Practices
- Wash Produce Thoroughly
- Cook Meats and Seafood Thoroughly
- Discard Contaminated Food
- Provide Ongoing Training and Education
1. Practice Proper Hand Hygiene
Emphasize the importance of proper handwashing to employees, providing training on a regular basis. Teach employees how to properly wash their hands and explain how handwashing helps prevent the spread of microorganisms.
Educate employees on the correct way to wash hands, as not washing them properly can lead to norovirus transmission.
There are five steps to follow when you wash your hands. These should be shared with employees to ensure they are washing their hands correctly:
- Wet hands with clean, running water (warm or cold)
- Apply soap, then lather your hands by rubbing them together. Scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean towel or an air dryer.
This technique should be used throughout the day, especially during critical moments, such as before and after handling or eating food, using the restroom, or touching potentially contaminated surfaces.
One way to ensure employee compliance with handwashing is by installing handwashing stations and hanging “wash your hands” reminder signs up in places like restrooms.
2. Avoid Bare-Hand Contact with Food
Instruct employees not to handle ready-to-eat foods with bare hands. Provide food service grade gloves that workers can use when handling food and monitor employees to ensure they are using gloves correctly.
3. Store Foods Correctly
Besides washing hands regularly, you can prevent the spread of norovirus by storing food at safe temperatures. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below and the freezer at 0 °F or below. Always refrigerate perishable food within two hours and cook or freeze meats and poultry within two days.
Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food. Store raw food separately from ready-to-eat foods. Raw foods should be placed in sealed containers at the bottom of the refrigerator, underneath cooked foods, to prevent dripping.
4. Clean and Disinfect Frequently Touched Surfaces
Surfaces in your restaurant get lots of attention from people’s hands. Sometimes those hands carry norovirus without the person even knowing it. You want to keep frequently or commonly touched surfaces clean and disinfected. These surfaces include:
- Door Handles
- Tables & Countertops
- Chairs & Other Seating
- Railings
- Light Switches
- Condiment Stands
- Utensil Stands
- Elevator Buttons
- Menus
To clean and disinfect surfaces at your restaurant, the CDC recommends EPA-registered disinfectants that have label efficacy to kill norovirus.
You want to clean and disinfect surfaces daily according to instructions on the product label, leaving the disinfectant on the affected area for the specified dwell or wet contact time.
Achieving the recommended dwell time is key to fully deactivating the highly infectious norovirus.
5. Ensure Proper Dishwashing Practices
To clean and sanitize dishes and utensils, use a high temperature dishwasher. The high temperatures (150 – 180 degrees F) help prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses, can kill pathogens, and also remove food remnants, grease, and stains.
Not sure which machine is right for your needs? Check out our article: How to Choose the Right Commercial Dish Machine for Your Business
The more you can remove food soils and other dried on substances from dishes, the lower the risk of transmitting norovirus in your restaurant.
The 3-compartment sink method is one way to clean and sanitize dishes thoroughly. This method requires three separate sink compartments, one for each step: wash, rinse, and sanitize.
6. Wash Produce Thoroughly
Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before preparation to remove potential contaminants.
7. Cook Meat and Seafood Thoroughly
Foodborne illness can also be prevented by cooking and storing foods at the proper temperatures. Cook all food to the minimum internal temperatures (usually between 145 °F and 160 °F), as measured with a food thermometer before removing food from the heat source. These are the safe minimum temperatures for different types of food:
Casseroles – 165 °F (73.9 °C)
Beef, Pork, Veal & Lamb Steaks, chops, roasts – 145 °F (62.8 °C) and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes
Ground Meats – 160 °F (71.1 °C)
All Poultry (breasts, whole bird, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry, giblets, and stuffing) – 165 °F (73.9 °C)
Ham, fresh or smoked (uncooked) – 145 °F (62.8 °C) and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes
Fully Cooked Ham (to reheat) – Reheat cooked hams packaged in USDA-inspected plants to 140 °F (60 °C) and all others to 165 °F (73.9 °C).
Eggs – 160 °F (71.1 °C)
Fish & Shellfish – 145 °F (62.8 °C)
Leftovers – 165 °F (73.9 °C)
8. Discard Contaminated Food
If there’s any suspicion that food has been contaminated, discard it immediately to prevent the spread of norovirus.
9. Provide Ongoing Training and Education
Ensure that your employees are educated about norovirus, its symptoms, and how to prevent its spread. Conduct annual training and post reminders about proper hygiene in the kitchen and restroom areas.
What Are the Symptoms of Norovirus?
Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps, with less common symptoms like fever, headache, or muscle aches.
Symptoms typically appear within 12 to 48 hours of exposure. Infected workers should stay home for at least 48 hours after symptoms stop to prevent spreading the virus, even if they no longer feel sick.
Cleaning Up After Norovirus Incidents
How to Clean Up OPIMs
As unpleasant as it might be to think about, there is a chance that bacteria won’t be the only thing passed around your restaurant. With norovirus, it is possible for other potentially infectious materials (OPIMs) to be dispersed by someone who is ill. For this reason, the FDA Food Code requires that commercial kitchens and food service operations must have written procedures on file for dealing with body fluid spills on their premises.
In the event that someone experiences symptoms of norovirus at your restaurant, it is critical that the mess be cleaned up properly and thoroughly. If someone vomits or has diarrhea at your restaurant, clean and disinfect the entire area immediately. Wear rubber or disposable gloves and wipe the entire area with paper towels. Disturb soiled material as little as possible to avoid spreading norovirus by air. Then throw gloves and towels in a plastic trash bag for discarding.
Then, remove and wash clothes and linens that may be contaminated. If you (or an employee) are not able to remove clothing during the clean up time, go home and change so you don’t risk spreading norovirus with potentially contaminated clothing. Immediately wash the clothes before norovirus has time to spread through the air.
Be sure to educate employees and staff on how to handle incidents like this, and always have the necessary PPE on hand. If possible, having a pair of “backup” clothes in a locker or bag somewhere is advisable.
The best practice for this clean-up is to have a commercially available body fluid spill clean up kit available as it will contain the needed absorbent, disinfectant, and PPE. It will also have detailed procedures for dealing with the spill.
Final Thoughts
Preventing norovirus in your restaurant starts with good hygiene, proper food storage, and regular cleaning. By following these guidelines, you can safeguard your patrons and staff while maintaining a clean, safe dining environment.
Ensure your restaurant is well-stocked with the necessary cleaning and sanitizing products to combat norovirus. Need help selecting the right products? Contact Imperial Dade to speak to one of our experts!
Check Out These Related Articles and Videos:
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- 3 Ways to Avoid the Spread of Foodborne Illnesses in Your Facility
- Food Grade Sanitizer: What are Approved Sanitizers for Food Service?
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