Food Safety, Reason for Worrying?

Since COVID-19 appeared in China in December 2019, people have been worrying about potential contagion. The World Health Organization published how long the virus survives on glass, wood, metal or fabric surfaces, but they never mentioned anything about food, which drove people to question food safety in regards to COVID-19. Specifically, can food become contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 and thereby infect people? Will this affect our food supply or food availability during the quarantine?

The US Department of Agriculture is unaware of any instances suggesting that COVID-19 has been transmitted by foodstuffs. Although consumers should not be too worried about COVID-19 transmissions from food, everyone should follow good hygiene practices when preparing foods to lessen their chances of contracting the virus from other sources.

In regards to the food supply, the Mexican government reported on April 8 that it is using technology to control imports of agri-food products in order to guarantee supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) explained that the Documentation and Evaluation Center (CDD) remotely conducts the revision of 60 percent of all food import applications that arrive to the country.

According to SADER, the customs offices of Ciudad Juarez and the port of Veracruz review documentation of all shipments remotely. In Colombia, Nuevo Leon, 96 percent of shipments arrive with already approved documentation. Meanwhile, in Nuevo Laredo's customs office, which concentrates 30 percent of Mexico's foreign trade activity, shipments enter also with pre-approved documentation. At AICM’s customs office, 75 percent of shipments are reviewed remotely and in Reynosa, remote shipment control reaches 65 percent. SADER explained that technological tools are useful in the face of the health emergency. Moreover, the government and authorities from all over the world are helping to protect the health of officials and users to avoid contagion and further spreading of COVID-19.