It is potentially possible to catch the virus from food but very unlikely, especially if you cook it.
Hearing about coronavirus outbreaks in places that process your food can certainly be alarming. Why are so many people falling so sick? And is it still safe to eat processed foods with COVID-19 being passed around like a football from worker to worker inside a plant? As a regular consumer, it can be hard to know what conclusions to draw. Here is what we found out to help you stay informed.
Can Food Be Contaminated With the Virus?
Meat packing facilities in particular have been hit hard by COVID-19. By April and May of 2020, they had already been attacked by the virus in the US with close quarters, cold and wet working environments, and not enough health precautions allowing employees to catch and spread the coronavirus like wildfire. By April 27, 2020, a staggering near 5,000 people working in meat and poultry processing plants on American soil had contracted the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), twenty of these workers had already died. (Similar narratives have played out in England and Canada, and likely elsewhere around the globe).
Related: How the Coronavirus is Much Worse Than the Flu
So, the numbers are shocking. But what about our food? While we are concerned about those who lost their lives, we also want to protect our own. Are things like salami and prosciutto still safe to eat?
Experts say that we need not worry, at least not too much. COVID-19 is not a food borne illness, and isn’t known to spread through eating. The novel coronavirus spreads through human-to-human contact, through infected droplets, and by touching contaminated surfaces and then transferring the virus to your face, where it can work its way into your body via your eyes, nose, or mouth. So, generally speaking, food doesn’t spread COVID-19.
Masks and Timing
Of course, nothing is absolutely impossible, however. According to Jeffrey Farber, the director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, you could potentially get COVID-19 from something like processed meat. If an infected worker sneezed or coughed directly on the meat in question before it was packaged, and you later ate it, you might potentially fall sick. The chances of this happening are very low however, according to Farber. This is because workers in meat plants are now all wearing masks, at all times. In addition, the time it takes for the meat to leave the plant, get to your store, be purchased, brought to your home, and end up in your delicious sandwich or on your plate would definitely reduce the strength of the viral particles present. The virus most likely wouldn’t be all that infectious by the time you consumed what was left of it.
So, when it comes to your deli meats, you might catch something, but you also might be hit by a bus. The takeaway: it’s unlikely.
Surviving the Freezer
The bad news is that placing your food in the fridge or freezer might not get rid of COVID-19 if it is present. According to New Jersey’s online COVID-19 information hub, a study done in 2010 found that lower temperatures actually helped coronaviruses survive longer. This was also true with lower levels of humidity.
Related: If You Test Positive for the Virus, Who Should You Tell?
Scarily, when kept at 4 degrees C, (40 degrees F), and a higher relative humidity, over two thirds of the viruses survived for an astounding 28 days. Yes, up to four weeks!
Researchers also said they expected the viruses would survive a stint in the freezer. COVID-19 popsicles? Here’s a better idea. Break out those pots and pans, and get cooking.
Cooking to Health
It’s true: according to reports, viruses don’t like a hot vacation. Thankfully, cooking your food will kill them. Dr. Stephen Berger, an infectious disease expert in California told the Detroit News that the SARS virus is known to be inactivated at 56 to 65 degrees Celsius (132.8 to 149 degrees Fahrenheit). SARS is a close relative of COVID-19 and Berger says it is safe to assume the novel coronavirus also buckles under heat. Stews and casseroles? You can dish them up with confidence as the frost grows outside. (Just remember not to share your utensils!)
Blaming the Food Industry
So, food is generally off the hook when it comes to spreading COVID-19 and that is definitely a good thing, or we’d all likely be going rather hungry right now. Food is not entirely innocent, however. It has been seen as a culprit when looking at who gets hit the hardest with the virus. It is now known that being obese is a factor that is contributing to people dying from COVID-19. In fact, obesity is now considered to be the biggest risk factor for death from COVID-19 in people under the age of 50 in the UK. That’s extremely significant! Doctors are blaming bad diets, with some people going so far as to call junk food the new tobacco.
So, eat healthy, everyone! It might just save your life. For more on food and what to eat during the pandemic, click here.
photo credits: beats1/Shutterstock.com
