Bird flu does not pose a risk to the fruit and vegetables, the Fresh Produce Consortium has confirmed.

The FPC had written to the Food Standards Agency regarding the possibility of transmission of the disease in the even of fresh produce coming into contact with bird faeces.

The FSA advice is that the consumption or preperation of food, whether poultry of fresh fruit and veg, does not pose a risk to UK consumers.

It said: “Consumption of fresh produce has not been implicated in any of the cases that have occurred worldwide.

“The avian flu virus has been demonstrated to survive in bird faeces. However, as with all viruses they require a living host to grow and therefore do not increase in numbers in faeces. The length of time that the virus will survive in faeces is influenced by the temperature and the type of faeces and the host.

“However, if virus were present on fresh produce as a result of faecal contamination, several factors would contribute to preventing or limiting its effects on people.

“These include destruction of the virus by cooking (in the case of produce that is not consumed raw) and by saliva and gastric acid. Moreover, it is unlikely that the lower gastrointestinal tract (stomach and intestines) could serve as a portal of entry of H5N1 virus in humans due to a lack of suitable receptors,” it added.

The FSA’s long-standing advice is that it is important to wash fruit and vegetables before consumption. This will help ensure that they are clean and reduce any micro-organisms that may be on the surface of the product.