Spreading coronavirus: ‘There have been no reports of transmission through food’

By Flora Southey

- Last updated on GMT

©GettyImages/Kira-Yan
©GettyImages/Kira-Yan

Related tags coronavirus Efsa

EFSA says there is no evidence that food is a likely source of transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

As of 11 March 2020, the novel coronavirus – or COVID-19 – outbreak is characterised a pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

Indeed, globally, 4,292 deaths have been reported to date, from a total of 118,326 cases confirmed.

So how is COVID-19 transmitted between people? According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the spreading of the virus is unrelated to what we eat.

EFSA calms concerns in Europe

In Europe, Italy, France, Spain, and Germany have been the worst hit, with 10,149, 1,774, 1,639 and 1,296 cases confirmed respectively. EU Member States with the highest death rates include Italy (631), France (33) and Spain (36).

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the initial infection in humans is likely to have come from animals. This has prompted concerns among Europeans that the virus can be transmitted via food​.

However, the EFSA – which is incidentally headquartered in one of the problem areas in northern Italy – has reassured citizens the virus is spreading from person to person mainly via respiratory droplets that people sneeze, cough, or exhale.  

“Experiences from previous outbreaks of related coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), show that transmission through food consumption did not occur,” ​noted EFSA’s chief scientist Marta Hugas.

“At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that coronavirus is any different in this respect.”

The agency confirmed there have not been any reports of transmission through food yet is ‘closely monitoring the situation’ as well as the scientific literature for new and relevant information.

Related topics Food safety Food Safety & Quality

Related news

Show more

Related products

 Four actionable steps to reduce allergen recalls

Four actionable steps to reduce allergen recalls

Content provided by FoodChain ID | 10-Oct-2023 | White Paper

Failing to mitigate allergen risks has serious consequences - not just for consumer safety, poor allergen procedures can also cause financial losses and...

Is your brand reputation at risk?

Is your brand reputation at risk?

Content provided by FoodChain ID | 21-Sep-2023 | White Paper

FoodChain ID has developed a new white paper, “Current Food Supply Chain Threats - Is Your Company's Brand Reputation at Risk?” examining recent regulatory...

Drive Faster R&D Innovation with PLM

Drive Faster R&D Innovation with PLM

Content provided by Aptean | 27-Jun-2023 | White Paper

Establishing a single source of truth with an organisation-wide platform that ties together all parties engaged in New Product Development (NPD) will help...

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars