The Food and Drug Administration announced on Nov. 27 its food scientists have developed a framework to study the risk associated with norovirus transmission to consumers through food contaminated by retail food employees.

Norovirus is the most common cause of widespread and sporadic gastroenteritis across all age groups worldwide and the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States, FDA noted in a news release.

"The FDA Food Code recommends intervention strategies to control norovirus and five other foodborne pathogens that have high infectivity via contamination of food by infected food employees," the agency said.