4 Foods That Are Proven Coronavirus Carriers
One of this year's most debated food safety issues brings into question whether coronavirus can be transmitted by food or its packaging.
China, for example, has claimed that traces of the living virus have been found on several samples of imported meat and seafood from Latin America and Europe. Their government has resorted to vigorous testing of all imported foods, which has led to reports that the virus can, in fact, survive on raw food and its packaging for several days and even weeks.
What all known food contamination cases have in common is that the food was either chilled or frozen, so the common denominator seems to be the low temperature which could help the virus survive and remain viable during food imports.
Salmon
In June, Chinese authorities traced a cluster of coronavirus cases to a restaurant in Beijing. First reports stated the virus had allegedly spread from a cutting board used for preparing raw salmon.
Chicken wings
In August, Chinese authorities reported finding traces of the virus on frozen chicken wings from Brazil.
Shrimp
Another Latin American country linked to contaminated food was Ecuador. Frozen shrimp imported from the country was found to have traces of the virus on its outer packaging in China's Anhui province.
Pork
A study from Ireland and Singapore testing the survival rate of coronavirus on several types of meat, including pork, found that the virus had survived for up to three weeks after contamination on both refrigerated (4°C) and frozen (–20°C and –80°C) samples.
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