Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. This virus strain was unknown prior to that date. Here is a short FAQ for the food handlers and food business operators

Can Covid-19 be spread by foodborne transmission?

There is currently no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission of the virus.

EFSA’s chief scientist, Marta Hugas said: “Experiences from previous outbreaks of related coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), show that transmission through food consumption did not occur. At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that coronavirus is any different in this respect.”

How long does COVID-19 last on surfaces?

According to the World Health Organization, it is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).

Should food businesses use disposables instead?

There is currently no evidence to suggest there is any benefit in switching to disposables. It is important that the measures we take to minimise transmission are effective. The most effective measures you can take are practising good hand hygiene and cleaning, with particular focus on shared frequently touched surfaces. 

Can coronavirus survive on crockery and cutlery?

While we are still finding out about the characteristics of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), we do know quite a bit about other related coronaviruses, which are likely to be similar in terms of susceptibility to inactivation.

Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses. The envelope surrounds the entire virus and without an intact envelope, the virus loses its infectivity (ability to infect a cell).

The envelope is a relatively delicate structure and makes the virus more susceptible to degradation in the environment. Due to the delicate nature of the viral envelope, coronaviruses are relatively sensitive to both heat and detergents (including soap).

For this reason, normal washing of dishes in hot water (or better still, a dishwasher) using detergent is likely to completely inactivate any coronavirus present.

What should a food business do to protect against coronavirus?

All business as usual information about food safety is relevant and protective.

Food businesses can continue to practice good food handling hygiene. A food handler should already wash their hands:

• before starting work
• before handling cooked or ready-to-eat food
• after handling or preparing raw food
• after handling waste
• after cleaning duties
• after using the toilet
• after blowing nose, sneezing or coughing
• after eating drinking or smoking
• after handling money

Be aware of how used dishes are collected from a table. Minimising the risk of cross contamination by avoiding touching areas that have been in direct contact with the customer or food.

More frequent cleaning of shared surfaces, this could include door handles (front door, fridge/freezers, toilets/bathrooms), tables and chairs (arm rests or areas used to pull out the chair) salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowls, communal cutlery containers, eftpos keypad.

What else should food business owners/managers do?

Food business owners (FBOs) should remember that they have particular responsibilities under food law and must maintain proper hygiene practices at all times. FBOs should

• ensure that staff are trained appropriately in food hygiene
• ensure effective supervision of staff to reinforce hygienic practices
• provide the correct facilities e.g. hand washing, toilets, to enable staff to practice good hygiene
• ensure staff and contractors report any physical signs/symptoms, before commencing work or while in the workplace.
• keep vigilant and ensure that staff are not ill and are fit to work

Here is some additional information that you might already know

What is Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.

How does COVID-19 spread?

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick.

There are a lot of myths surrounding COVID-19, and you can visit the WHO page to ensure that you are not falling for those. In the Indian context, there is also no evidence that consuming cow dung/urine helps prevent COVID-19. Same is the case with consuming rasam.

Source: Victoria State Govt. Health Advisory