Covid-19 Cannot Spread Through Food or Food-Packaging

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Several food safety regulators have assessed the impact of the SARS Covid-19 virus on food items since the beginning of the pandemic in March, 2020. They have assessed the risk of potentially acquiring the coronavirus from contaminated food or food packaging. However, the consensus remains that there is no evidence that it is a safety risk.

Evaluating Food Borne Transmission

Although the food borne route of transmission has been assessed thoroughly and continues to be evaluated, the main route of infection is from person-to-person via contact with one another and from respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing and talking. The coronavirus, therefore, is not considered a foodborne virus. However, the virus has resulted in severe restrictions and disruptions in the global food supply chains and networks.

Studies conducted during the course of the last year suggest that lower, freezing temperatures are conducive to the preservation of the viral strain, thus, freezing food can be a factor in increasing the longevity of the virus. However, these reports also indicate that cooking the food at high temperatures essentially kills any viral deposits that may have lingered in the frozen temperatures. They are inactivated by cooking food at frequently used temperatures. Another finding concludes that it is also likely the virus in food will be at low concentrations. Importantly, the coronavirus, like other viruses, cannot multiply outside their hosts. Therefore, it cannot multiply in food

Consensus Achieved

The overwhelmingly accepted current consensus remains that the SARS-CoV-2 is not transmitted by food and is highly unlikely to be transmitted by food packaging material, but it could be spread by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. It’s therefore very important to properly clean and disinfect food contact surfaces and especially high-touch surfaces and utensils in a food environment. The possibility of viral deposits on food does not indicate a risk for public health. Therefore it should not be a basis for restricting food trade or initiating a food recall. Conversely, thinking about the food supply chain in a connected way – integrating health, food security and sustainability – will be an important part of controlling future pandemics.