Can Covid-19 virus spread through food packaging?

Team Udayavani, Aug 21, 2020, 4:14 PM IST

Recently there have been rumours of food packaging transporting Covid-19 virus. It is said that several exported or imported frozen food have tested positive for traces of the virus

Cold-storage facilities and meat processing plants are ideal environments for the virus to spread, as the pathogen thrive in cold and dry environments. But experts say they believe the risk of developing Covid-19 from handling these products remains extremely low.

As a precautionary measure, China’s Guangzhou city has banned imports from coronavirus hotspots.

The World Health Organization (WHO) agrees that one cannot transmit the virus while eating, coronavirus cannot multiply in food, they need an animal or human host to multiply

However, CDC does concede that it may be possible for someone to get Covid-19 by touching a surface or object, like a packaging container, that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes.

Experts claim that there is no need to disinfect food packaging, but hands should be properly washed after handling food packages and before eating