This new British study confirms that the virus might remain for several days on certain foods.
Who hasn’t left their shopping bag “a few hours” outside their door on their way back from the supermarket? at the start of the pandemic ? The possibility of the virus remaining on food and food packaging was a real concern at a time when much was still unknown regarding Covid 19.
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In a British studycommissioned by the “Food Standard Agency” and made public at the end of November, researchers tested the survival time of the virus on vegetables sold in bulk without packaging, fresh products such as cheddar, sliced ham, and finally on various packaging such as trays, plastic bottles, aluminum. They found that the virus stayed longer or shorter depending on the surfaces.
The virus survives more on cheese and charcuterie
According to the results of the study, the virus survived several days on cheddar cheese or sliced ham. “These types of deli items are high in saturated fat, protein, and moisture, which might prolong the potential infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, likely by preventing its desiccation and inactivation,” the scientists comment. .
On products like apples, on the other hand, the virus disappears within an hour of contamination. This is due to “substances present on or in the skin,…
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