Recent Global Strategies and Research and Development Projects on Viral Food Safety: Consideration on Future Research Themes

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study aimed to propose themes for future viral research, with increasing considerations and demands on viral food safety. National strategies and research and development (R&D) projects, completed or in progress within 10 years, were investigated in food safety agency websites/reports of five countries (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Australia/New Zealand). The research themes were extracted, listed, and further categorized into 10 major subdivisions ("detection methods", "genetic analysis", "surveillance", etc.) based on the opinions of food safety experts. Research projects regarding "basic characterization", such as survival or resistance analysis, took the highest proportion, followed by projects on "epidemiology" or "disinfection". Moreover, foodborne (norovirus, rotavirus, hepatitis A/E virus) and zoonotic viruses (influenza A virus, avian influenza virus, coronavirus including SARS-CoV-2) focused in predominant numbers of the global research projects were identified. The results of this study support the importance and urgency of future national research projects which could ensure virus issues in aspects of food safety.