Seeding of outbreaks of COVID-19 by contaminated fresh and frozen food

Fisher, Dale; Reilly, Amanda; Kang, Adrian Eng Zheng; Cook, Alex R.; Anderson, Danielle E.

doi:10.1101/2020.08.17.255166

Cited by 62 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…In this regard, Fisher et al (51) found that infectious SARS-CoV-2 did not decline in titer and was able to survive for 3 weeks in inoculated pieces of chicken, pork and salmon stored at 4, −20, and −80 • C. Furthermore, Mullis et al (52) demonstrated that a bovine coronavirus present on lettuce stored at 4 • C retained its infectivity for at least 14 days. In addition, coronavirus 229E survived well for 2 days on lettuce stored at 4 • C, before quickly decreasing in numbers, but did not survive on the surface of strawberries, potentially because of the acidity (53).…”

Section: Survival and Inactivation Of Sars-cov-2 In Foodmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 and Risk to Food Safety

et al. 2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a consideration of our understanding of transmission of the causal agent, SARS-CoV-2 to humans and its potential effect on food safety and food security. The main routes of transmission are reported to be person-to-person, by respiratory droplets and to a lesser degree, by fomites. Concerns have been raised on the possibility of transmission via food and food packaging and whether the virus poses a risk to food safety. The current contribution provides an exposé of updated literature and reports applicable to various components of food safety and its linkage to SARS-CoV-2. The article focuses on SARS-CoV-2 survival in food, on food contact materials and food packaging, and its categorization as a foodborne vs. respiratory virus, the possibility of fecal-oral transmission and the likelihood of infection via the gastro-intestinal system. The survival and inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in food through thermal and non-thermal inactivation methods as well as the survival and inactivation on inanimate surfaces and effective disinfection of food contact surfaces, are discussed. Ultimately, the article endeavors to add to the body of knowledge pertaining to the role of SARS-CoV-2 in food safety and thereby contribute to an agile and robust fraternity that is equipped to absorb and weather the ongoing effects of the pandemic on the food sector.

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Section: Survival and Inactivation Of Sars-cov-2 In Foodmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 and Risk to Food Safety

et al. 2020

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“…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). These critical developments called for an updated and more informed view on this matter, by reviewing new evidence, scholarly discussions, and current policy and knowledge gaps.…”

Section: Environmental Chemistry Lettersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With respect to food environments, there has been only one study to date on the survival of SARS-CoV-2 on food surfaces. In a controlled laboratory study, Fisher et al (2020) examined the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on refrigerated and frozen salmon, chicken, and pork over a period of 21 days. The study found that the titers of SARS-CoV-2 remained virtually constant, and the inoculated viruses maintained their infectivity on both refrigerated (4 °C) and frozen (− 20 °C and − 80 °C) samples.…”

Section: Food Contamination and The Cold Chainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While travel restrictions have been widely put in place for international travels (CAAC 2020; France Diplomacy 2020; INZ 2020; UAE 2020) and in some places, domestic travels (Chicago 2020; CT 2020; MA 2020), few restrictions exist on the freight of consumer goods, including foodstuffs (UNECE 2020b; NZCS 2020). Since SARS-CoV-2 has high stability under low temperatures (Chin et al 2020;Fisher et al 2020;Kratzel et al 2020), consumer goods constantly kept under low temperatures such as chilled and frozen foods may become vectors in the current pandemic allowing long-range transport of SARS-CoV-2 in international trades and interregional transport of these goods. Although the likelihood of food-to-human transmission is considered lower when compared with other routes such as respiratory droplets and fomites, these should not be neglected as a risk factor given the large volumes of refrigerated foods being transported across different countries and regions, the personnel and complex environments they could be exposed to through the "farm-to-table" lifecycle, and their eventual human contact with a large consumer base.…”

Section: Current Policy and Knowledge Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2020

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought speculations on possible transmission routes of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of the pandemic. Air pollution has been linked to increased risks of COVID-19 infection and mortality rates in regions with poor air quality, yet no retrospective study has been reported on foodborne transmission of COVID-19. While studies have shown that low temperature could dramatically prolong the persistence on SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, frozen and refrigerated foods have been widely overlooked as potential vectors in policy frameworks and risk mitigation strategies. Food transmission evidence has been disclosed in China early July 2020 by the detection of SARS-CoV-2 on frozen foods, including their packaging materials and storage environments, with two re-emergent outbreaks linked to contaminated food sources. The contamination risk is augmented by a complex farm-to-table process, which favors exposure to food workers and ambient environments. Moreover, the food cold-chain also promotes contamination because laboratory studies showed that SARS-CoV-2 remained highly stable under refrigerated, at 4 °C, and freezing conditions, from − 10 to − 80 °C, on fish, meat, poultry, and swine skin, during 14-21 days. While data are lacking on long-term survival and infectivity under these conditions, ample evidence has been shown on other coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1. We therefore hypothesize that contaminated cold-storage foods may present a systematic risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission between countries and regions. Here, we review the evidence, risk factors, current policy and knowledge gaps, on food contamination and foodborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Keywords Refrigerated • Frozen • Food • Coronavirus • Cold chain • Logistics Abbreviations ATP Agreement concerning the international carriage of perishable footstuffs and on the special equipment to be used for such carriage BCoV-88 Bovine coronavirus strain 88 CDC

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“…At the same time, demand for fresh/frozen seafood for high-value auction and retail outlets dropped, which impacted the longliners that supply these markets. The reopening of Chinese markets in the Spring of 2020 for fresh/frozen seafood may have eased some of these bottlenecks, although recent evidence that the COVID-19 virus can survive on frozen foods for several weeks, and may even have been responsible for several outbreaks in Asia, might lead to new slowdowns in seafood trade and retailing (Fisher et al 2020).…”

Section: A Destabilized Seafood Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19, instability and migrant fish workers in Asia

et al. 2020

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This paper seeks to establish how COVID-19 is impacting migrant fish workers through focusing on two global fish hubs, Thailand and Taiwan. Through a careful review of the news reports, social media, and NGO reports and press releases, three significant themes emerged: employment disruptions due to seafood system instabilities; travel or mobility restrictions; and poor access to services such as health care or social programs. We unpack each theme in turn to spotlight the impacts COVID-19 is having on yet another vulnerable worker population, fish workers. We further reflect on what this pandemic reveals about unacceptable work in industrial fisheries and consider if the pandemic may be producing opportunities to advocate for better working conditions.

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Seeding of outbreaks of COVID-19 by contaminated fresh and frozen food

Cited by 62 publications

References 2 publications

SARS-CoV-2 and Risk to Food Safety

SARS-CoV-2 and Risk to Food Safety

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

COVID-19, instability and migrant fish workers in Asia

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