About ViroSafety
ViroSafety Ltd was created to make food virology practical, understandable and relevant to everyone working in food safety.
Led by Dr Martin D’Agostino, the UK’s most experienced food virologist, ViroSafety supports businesses and regulators through engaging training, expert advice and up-to-date insights into viruses such as norovirus, hepatitis A virus and hepatitis E virus.
Whether online or onsite, the goal is simple: to help you protect your products, your reputation and your customers.
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Core Services
Food Virology Training
Tailored sessions, delivered online or onsite, designed to make complex virology topics clear, relevant and actionable for technical, QA and auditing teams.
Consultancy and Advisory Support
Independent advice on outbreak prevention, hygiene management, and regulatory compliance – including ISO and Codex guidance.
Standards and Method Development
Expert input on virus detection and control methods, supporting laboratories, agencies and producers to meet international performance standards.
Committee Work
Martin contributes to several international standardisation committees, including ISO and CEN helping shape global approaches to the detection and control of foodborne viruses.
Through this work, he provides expert input into PCR performance standards, virus method validation, and food safety guidance documents that influence testing and policy worldwide..
Consultancy
ViroSafety Ltd provides independent consultancy on foodborne virus control, supporting food producers, retailers, and regulators.
Services include outbreak investigation advice, method evaluation, hygiene and risk management reviews, and guidance on compliance with FSA, ISO and Codex standards.
All consultancy is personally delivered by Dr Martin D’Agostino, ensuring a practical, science-based approach.
Training
Martin delivers engaging online and onsite training on food virology, designed for technical, QA, auditing and regulatory professionals.
Courses demystify complex topics like norovirus and hepatitis A virus, focusing on prevention, detection and control within the food industry.
Training content is always current, reflecting the latest science, outbreak data and regulatory developments.
Why Virus Control Starts in the Field
Viruses can contaminate fresh produce long before it reaches the consumer.
Unlike bacteria, viruses such as norovirus and hepatitis A virus don’t multiply in food – but they can survive for the whole shelf-life on fruit and salad crops, even after washing or freezing.
Contamination often occurs through irrigation water, handling during harvesting, or poor hygiene in the supply chain.
Understanding how viruses persist in the environment is the first step to prevention – and that’s where effective training and awareness make a real difference.
Trusted by Industry, Academia and Regulators
Over the years, ViroSafety has supported major retailers, food producers, regulators and research organisations through training, consultancy and collaborative projects.
These partnerships reflect a shared commitment to improving food safety and reducing viral contamination risks across the supply chain.
Testimonials
“Martin provides training on foodborne viruses for the Food Technology team at M&S. Martin has used his in-depth knowledge of viruses to develop a training course for our Food Technologists; giving them the knowledge and understanding of practical controls to work with our supply base, ensuring measures are in-place to manage the risk of foodborne viruses. Our team enjoys the training, which is a combination of presentations and interactive sessions. (Marissa Schwoch, Company Microbiologist, M&S)
“I found the course very enlightening, particularly with the focus around the raw material level challenges in RTE products. You presented the topic with Charisma/made it interesting which is definitely an achievement when talking about a subject such as Norovirus! The quizzes worked well and broke up the study.” (M&S employee)
“A huge thank you to Martin D’Agostino, Ph.D. MRSB FIFST
from ViroSafety Ltd for delivering such an informative session. Your expertise and guidance on practical prevention strategies, such as robust hygiene practices and thorough food handler training, will undoubtedly make a lasting impact on food safety awareness in the industry.” (Max Renton, Assistant Food Technologist, M&S)
“I am currently a food science and nutrition student undergoing my food technology placement in M&S where I attended the ViroSafety course led by Martin D’Agostino. Throughout the duration of this course, I felt that the course content was very engaging and it provided me with a large scope of understanding of how common viruses are within food and different viruses that we should be looking out for within the food industry by using real life scenarios to help understanding. Overall, I would thoroughly recommend attending this course, no matter what point of your food career that you are in, to deepen your understanding of the issues that viruses cause.” (Sienna Johnston, BPP Food Technologist, M&S)
Contact us
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