Norovirus Food Poisoning in Japan

In April 2025, 72 people were poisoned and 1 person died at a boxed lunch supplier in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, after an employee was asymptomatically carrying norovirus. The incident exposed hygiene loopholes in the food processing chain, and the government urgently revised regulations to require food workers to undergo regular screening for the virus. Experts point out that the risk of hidden contamination in industrialized food production needs to be addressed through automated equipment and real-time traceability technologies.