Relevance of SARS-CoV-2 in food safety and food hygiene: potential preventive measures, suggestions and nanotechnological approaches

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is easily transmitted from person to person, which has fueled the ongoing pandemic. Governments in different countries have taken drastic actions such as complete lockdown. However, little attention has been paid to food safety and its potential linkage with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 spread from staff to food products or food surfaces is conceivable. At least, instead of consuming unpackaged or uncovered foods, consumption of boiled or canned foods processed at high temperatures should be preferred. Before consumption, consumers should clean the surface of canned foods. In addition to recommending or enforcing simple precautions, such as using masks, governments must conduct mandatory SARS-CoV-2 tests regularly and intermittently for personnel who handle food materials or supporting materials (e.g., plastic pouches). Local markets, such as those in Wuhan, which sell live animals and exotic foods for consumption, are a concern. Trade of exotic or wild animals, unhygienic marketplace conditions, and not cooking at high temperatures ought to be prohibited. The consumption of vitamins, minerals, and other food-derived compounds such as omega fatty acids is a prudent way to improve the performance of the immune system. In addition, nano-encapsulated materials with controlled release properties may be useful in protecting food products and packaging from SARS-CoV-2 contamination.

Environmental impacts on the transmission and evolution of COVID-19 combing the knowledge of pathogenic respiratory coronaviruses

“…Further evidence is needed to prove the connection between air pollution and COVID-19 infection. (2) Recent cases of COVID-19 suggested that the contaminated food with virus may cause transmission through the process of production, processing, transport, and selling ( Ceylan et al., 2020 ). Consequently, SARS-CoV-2 in food safety and hygiene should cause a concern, and prevention and regulatory strategies may be of high priority in the future.…”

Can the coronavirus disease be transmitted from food? A review of evidence, risks, policies and knowledge gaps

“…This is mainly because the situation is rapidly evolving on COVID-19, particularly on viral contamination of foods and associated risks of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, which have only started attracting public and regulatory concerns after the recent events. Most of the evidence on SARS-CoV-2 detection on frozen foods appeared between July-August 2020, weeks or months later after the recent discussions on food-associated transmission of COVID-19 (Ceylan et al 2020;Eslami and Jalili 2020;Rizou et al 2020;Sharma et al 2020;Zuber and Brüssow 2020). Further, studies on the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in food environments only began to appear in early July 2020 (Fisher et al 2020;Harbourt et al 2020).…”

“…In the early discussions on COVID-19, foodborne transmission was postulated as a potential risk factor (Sharma et al 2020 ), and precautionary measures were recommended for staff involved in preparing and distributing food (Eslami and Jalili 2020 ; Zuber and Brüssow 2020 ). In a brief discussion, Ceylan et al ( 2020 ) pointed out that foodborne diseases caused by viral infections are common, and viruses can contaminate food in three pathways, namely via contaminated water in which shellfish grows or used for fruit washing after harvest, poor hand hygiene practices, and the consumption of animal-based products containing zoonotic viruses. The authors further pointed out that foodborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 needs to be studied, with several tasks suggested for future studies.…”

Food products as potential carriers of SARS-CoV-2

“…Notwithstanding the recent FDA's statement, no scientific evidence exists to show a relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and food products. The administration of meat or other parts of infectious animals may cause zoonotic foodborne illnesses ( Ceylan, Meral, & Cetinkaya, 2020 ). In China, between early July to mid-August 2020, at least 9 occurrences of food contamination by SARS-CoV-2 reported on the packaging materials, storage environment, and surface of imported frozen raw foods ( Han, Zhang, He, & Jia, 2020 ).…”