This report draws attention to the threat of viruses as a risk to public health when they are present in food. Viruses play a major role in the burden of infectious intestinal disease and require special and separate attention because they behave differently from bacteria. In identifying the major routes of viral contamination of foods, this report seeks to highlight those areas which need immediate attention and provide guidance to both risk assessors and risk managers in understanding the challenges to be overcome in effectively addressing the problems associated with foodborne viruses. This volume and other in this series, co-published with WHO, contain information that is useful to both risk assessors and risk managers, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, governments and food regulatory agencies, industry and other people or institutions with an interest in foodborne viruses, their public health impact and approaches for the evaluation and selection of potential control strategies.