No evidence of possibility of contamination via the digestive tract
The contamination of an animal by the virus being unlikely, the possibility of direct transmission to humans by food from a contaminated animal has been ruled out by the experts. Only the hypothesis of food contamination by a sick human, or asymptomatic carrier of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has been investigated.
Contamination might occur through respiratory droplets from a contaminated patient. However, the question of the faecal-oral route arises, viral particles having been detected in the stools of certain patients.
After reviewing the available data, the expert group concludes that:
- in the current state of knowledge, transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by the direct digestive tract is ruled out. Indeed, if the presence of the virus is observed in the stools of patients, it is likely that it is explained by the circulation of the virus in the blood following the respiratory infection rather than by the digestive tract. However, the possibility of infection of the respiratory tract during chewing cannot be completely excluded;
- by analogy with other known coronaviruses, this virus is sensitive to cooking temperatures. So, heat treatment at 63°C for 4 min (temperature used in hot connection in collective catering) makes it possible to divide the contamination of a food product by 10,000;
- an infected person can contaminate food by preparing or handling it with soiled hands, or by exposing it to infectious droplets when coughing and sneezing. applied correctly, good hygiene practices are an effective way to prevent the contamination of foodstuffs by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
