[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – Following recent reports that Sars-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, was found in frozen beef and tripe in China, The Straits Times looks at how frozen foods and food facilities could be possible modes. transmission and the risk of contracting the virus that way.
Q: Should I be concerned about contracting the Covid-19 virus through frozen food or food packaging?
A: The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that people are unlikely to contract Covid-19 from food or food packaging, and that transmission through contaminated food is not a major route of infection.
Furthermore, the Singapore Food Agency posted on its website that it is “not aware of any evidence” to suggest that the virus can be transmitted to humans through food or food packaging and equipment.
However, he added that contact with these items is “no different” from contact with common surfaces, such as lift buttons and door knobs, which could easily become contaminated with the Covid-19 virus. But the risk of possible transmission through these surfaces remains low. As such, it is important to maintain good personal hygiene.
Q: Should Singapore control all its frozen food imports?
A: No, since the risk of transmission from frozen foods is low.
Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Infectious Disease Program Leader and Co-Director of Global Health at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said: “Currently, the cost of examining all frozen products is high relative to potential benefit, and other routes of transmission are more likely and present a higher risk. “
He added that Singapore could consider examining all of its frozen food if it ultimately targets zero cases of Covid-19 and after it has accounted for and controlled all other common routes of virus transmission and importation.
Q: What are the implications of the persistence of the virus on the packaging of these frozen products? Should people be careful about frozen food imports?
A: Professor Dale Fisher, senior consultant in the Infectious Diseases division of the National University Hospital, said there is circumstantial evidence showing that food handlers can become infected with imported viruses in fresh or frozen foods. However, when packaged food reaches consumers, there is almost no chance that the virus is still in the package. Even if it were, there would have to be a suitable infectious dose to be a route of transmission.
Dr. Danielle Anderson, scientific director of the ABSL3 laboratory at Duke-NUS School of Medicine, said there is currently no definitive evidence of people infected from food packaging. As a safety measure, they should make sure they cook food well and wash their hands well after handling raw food, as these measures can also help prevent foodborne illness.
Q: Can the Covid-19 virus be transmitted through cooked food?
A: There is no evidence that people can contract Covid-19 from cooked food, according to the WHO. The Covid-19 virus can be killed at temperatures similar to those of other known viruses and bacteria. Therefore, foods such as eggs and all meat, including poultry, must be cooked to at least 70 ° C.
Q: Should we be concerned with food processing and cold storage facilities? Are they a source of spread of the virus?
A: Since the virus tends to survive longer in colder temperatures, conditions in these facilities tend to be more favorable for its transmission and spread.
Dr. Anderson feels the facilities are a concern as workers are often in close proximity to each other and may yell or talk loudly to each other. Masks can also become damp and ineffective in colder temperatures. He noted that many of these workers fear losing their job if they take days off, increasing the likelihood that they will go to work even when sick.
All workplaces, including local food processing facilities, must comply with Safe Management Measures. Employers who fail to do so may face stop-work orders or financial penalties.
[ad_2]
