THE ESSENTIAL
- The World Health Organization specified in April 2020 that coronaviruses cannot multiply in food, they need an animal or human host.
- “There is no indication to date that viruses causing respiratory diseases can be transmitted through food or food packaging,” she said.
- Covid-19 is mainly transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes near another person, who will inhale the projected droplets.
Since the beginning of the pandemic linked to Covid-19, the lifespan of the virus on surfaces has been questioned, particularly with regard to food. Thus, it has sometimes been recommended to let your shopping rest before putting it away, to limit the risk of being contaminated, in case traces of virus are present on the surface of the products. Then, this precautionary principle was gradually abandoned. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency (FSA)the British agency in charge of food safety, mobilized researchers to find out the lifespan of the virus on food and the associated risk of contamination. Led by the University of Southampton, this research demonstrates that the virus can survive for a long time on certain foods, but the risk of being infected through this would be minimal.
A study on the contamination of different foods by Covid-19
In the report, the scientists explain that they conducted this study in the laboratory, they artificially contaminated the surfaces of certain foods and packaging with the Sars-CoV-2. “We measured how the amount of infectious virus present on these surfaces decreased over time, at different levels of temperature and humidity, reflecting typical storage conditions.”, they detail. They performed these tests with broccoli, peppers, apple, raspberry, cheddar, sliced ham, olives, brine from olives, white and brown bread crusts, croissants and pain au chocolat. “The foods tested were selected because they are typically sold loose on supermarket shelves or uncovered at deli counters or market stalls, they can be difficult to wash, and they are often eaten without any further processing. i.e. cooking”the authors point out.
A low risk of contamination by the coronavirus via food
The results show that the survival of the virus varies between foods and food packaging. “On some foods, such as cheese and ham, the virus survived for several days, they notice. On others, like apples and olives, virus levels dropped rapidly.“British scientists have found a”significant drop“levels of viral contamination during the first 24 hours of the test, on most foods. They are a reminder that contamination by food might occur if the mouth or mucous membranes were in direct contact with a contaminated product. But to the extent that previous research on the Covid-19 demonstrate that contamination occurs mainly through the inhalation of droplets and aerosols, the risk seems low.
For the FSA, these results are a confirmation of the lower risk related to food. “There is no need to take extra precautions due to Covid-19 when handling food as long as good hygiene practices are in place.”says the organization.
