Cold Chain Food and COVID-19 Transmission Risk: From the Perspective of Consumption and Trade

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), political and academic circles have focused significant attention on stopping the chain of COVID-19 transmission. In particular outbreaks related to cold chain food (CCF) have been reported, and there remains a possibility that CCF can be a carrier. Based on CCF consumption and trade matrix data, here, the “source” of COVID-19 transmission through CCF was analyzed using a complex network analysis method, informing the construction of a risk assessment model reflecting internal and external transmission dynamics. The model included the COVID-19 risk index, CCF consumption level, urbanization level, CCF trade quantity, and others. The risk level of COVID-19 transmission by CCF and the dominant risk types were analyzed at national and global scales as well as at the community level. The results were as follows. (1) The global CCF trade network is typically dominated by six core countries in six main communities, such as Indonesia, Argentina, Ukraine, Netherlands, and the USA. These locations are one of the highest sources of risk for COVID-19 transmission. (2) The risk of COVID-19 transmission by CCF in specific trade communities is higher than the global average, with the Netherlands–Germany community being at the highest level. There are eight European countries (i.e., Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Britain, Italy, and Poland) and three American countries (namely the USA, Mexico, and Brazil) facing a very high level of COVID-19 transmission risk by CCF. (3) Of the countries, 62% are dominated by internal diffusion and 23% by external input risk. The countries with high comprehensive transmission risk mainly experience risks from external inputs. This study provides methods for tracing the source of virus transmission and provides a policy reference for preventing the chain of COVID-19 transmission by CCF and maintaining the security of the global food supply chain.

Cold-Chain-Food-Related COVID-19 Surveillance in Guangzhou between July 2020 and December 2022

“…A relationship may exist between the occurrence of cold-chain events that involve meat products and the total number of cold-chain goods. Some studies have shown that cold-chain products are not themselves associated with COVID-19 transmission risk and that the risk primarily derives from the processing and transportation of cold-chain products [24][25][26].…”

SARS-CoV-2 transmission via maritime cold chains: A statistical analysis of nucleic acid detection results of cold chain food imported from Fuzhou ports

“…In the CCFs trade network constructed in this study, there were 198 nodes and 11,924 lines, with China among the top 20 countries. They concluded that China has a high risk of external inputs and comprehensive transmission [ 19 ]. Between July 2020 and July 2021, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted over than 55.83 million CCFs-related SARS-CoV-2 RNA samples nationwide.…”

The Impact of Sustainable Development of Cold Chain Logistics on China’s COVID-19 Pandemic

“…However, with the regularization of domestic outbreak control in China, measures such as border restrictions and isolation have effectively stopped the virus from spreading through infected persons [24,25]. Instead, the recent frequency of cold chain logistics (CCL)related outbreaks has caused widespread public concern [26,27]. Several studies have shown that the frozen state is more conducive to the survival of novel coronaviruses [27,28].…”