Is the Risk of Catching Coronavirus From Food and Cooking Significant?

Check out this answer from Consensus:

Current research indicates that the risk of contracting COVID-19 through food and cooking is minimal. While theoretical possibilities exist, there is no substantial evidence to support foodborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Maintaining good hygiene practices and ensuring proper food preparation and cooking methods are effective measures to prevent any potential risk.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has raised numerous concerns about various transmission routes. Among these, the potential for food and cooking to act as vectors for the virus has been a topic of significant interest. This article explores the current understanding of the risk associated with contracting COVID-19 through food and cooking, drawing on recent research findings.

Potential for Foodborne Transmission

Several studies have investigated the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 being transmitted through food products. One study highlights that food products might act as carriers for the virus, especially considering the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the feces of infected individuals, which suggests a potential fecal-oral route of transmission. This study also notes that people with certain gastric issues may be more susceptible to infection through this route1.

Risk Pathways in the Food Chain

A comprehensive risk assessment conducted by Canadian food safety experts evaluated the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 contamination at various stages of the food processing and handling chain. The study concluded that there is no comprehensive epidemiological evidence of confirmed COVID-19 cases resulting from food or food packaging transmission. The likelihood of exposure through ingestion or contact with mucosa is considered negligible to very low, provided good hygiene practices are followed during food preparation2.

Exposure Assessment in Food Sources

Another study focused on the potential for SARS-CoV-2 transmission via Canadian food sources. This rapid exposure assessment considered various contamination routes, including contaminated animal-origin foods, fresh foods, and fomites. The study found no indication of foodborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Canadian food sources and deemed the risk of contracting COVID-19 via food and food packaging as low to remote. The study also emphasized that adherence to safe food practices and thorough cooking would mitigate any potential risk3.

Is the risk of catching coronavirus from food and cooking significant?

Angela Rasmussen has answered Unlikely

An expert from Columbia University in Virology

Food is not inhaled into the respiratory tract and any virus present will likely be inactivated in the stomach. High acidity, low pH environments such as the stomach can both disrupt the envelope and degrade viral proteins and RNA that are other key components of the virus particle.

Is the risk of catching coronavirus from food and cooking significant?

Donald Schaffner has answered Unlikely

An expert from Rutgers University in Microbiology, Food Safety

There is no evidence currently that COVID-19 be transmitted by food. The biggest risk when it comes to COVID-19 and groceries is being around other people in the grocery store while you are shopping.

Should I keep my groceries in the garage or on the porch for 3 days?

This is patently ridiculous. Are you really going to keep your milk, your ice cream, your deli meats outside for three days? This also has very important food safety implications. This sounds like a recipe for disaster, or at the very least spoiled food.There is a tiny nugget of truth in this advice, because we know that the virus is slowly inactivated at room temperature, with a half-life of about eight hours. But this advice presumes that all groceries are contaminated, and the simply touching the groceries will make you sick, neither of which are true.

Do I really need to disinfect all of the individual boxes & baggies everything came in?

I also think that this is also advice that does not make scientific sense. If you are concerned about the outside of food packages being contaminated, I suggest that you wash your hands and or sanitize your hands before you sit down to eat any food that you might’ve taken out of those containers. And guess what, washing your hands before you eat is a best practice even when we’re not in a pandemic!

Washing fresh produce with soap? Soap should *absolutely* not be used to wash food. Soap is not designed for food. As mentioned in the linked thread, soap can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea if ingested. Current recommendations by scientific experts including the FDA, say to wash fresh fruits and vegetables in cold water. See my earlier answer for more details.

Are reusable bags risky?

Many people use reusable bags as a responsible choice. We do this in my family as well. It’s a best practice (even before the times of pandemic) to wash your reusable bags on a regular basis. While it is theoretically possible that a reusable bag may pick up germs, including coronavirus while in the grocery store, the biggest threat that anyone faces is someone else in the store who has COVID-19. I would suggest that you keep your grocery bags in the car, so you have them handy the next time you go shopping. If you’re concerned that your bags might have coronavirus on them you can wash them. You should also wash your hands after you have finished putting all your groceries away. This was also a good advice even before pandemic.

What I can do to reduce risk when grocery shopping?

Many grocery stores are offering hand sanitizers at the entrance, and are offering to sanitize grocery carts. Both great ideas, and customers should take advantage if available.My other advice is to make a list, and know what you want, and move quickly and efficiently through the store picking out the items on your list. Practice appropriate social distancing, trying your best to keep 6 feet away from other shoppers. If there is hand sanitizer available, I also use it when I’m exiting the store, and then I’ll use it again at home once I finished putting all my groceries away and returning my reusable shopping bags to the car.

What about the risk from takeaway or restaurant food?

Hopefully any sick kitchen staff stay home with paid sick leave so they don’t have to work. Even if a sick worker sneezed on my food (I know that’s gross), my risk of contracting COVID-19 from it are very low.

First it’s important to realize that this is a respiratory illness as far as we know. The biggest risk is being around sick people who are shedding the virus when they sneeze or cough.

Even if the virus did get onto food, we’re going to put that food in our mouth and swallow it so the virus will end up in our stomach. Our stomachs have a low pH which would likely inactivate the virus.

If the virus did somehow make its way to our intestine, it’s a respiratory virus, so it’s not really designed to invade via the intestine, so it would probably die there or come out in our poop.

The virus dies faster under warm moist conditions, and would likely be destroyed by cooking quite easily. If someone sneezed on food which was then cooked, I don’t think there would be any infectious virus after cooking.

But since I’m not really worried about getting the virus from food, it doesn’t really matter to me whether the food is hot or cold.

We have to remember that we don’t breath in food, just touch with hands (which we should wash).

There’s a much higher chance of getting it from another customer picking up take-out at same time!