COVID-19 virus not transmitted to humans via food: SFA
SINGAPORE — The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) took to Facebook on Tuesday (1 June) to allay consumers' concerns over the safety of food products produced in overseas food establishments with COVID-19 cases.
"The current state of knowledge across scientific communities and public health authorities worldwide is that the COVID-19 virus is not transmitted to humans via food," said the SFA in its post.
"The SFA will continue to monitor developments closely, evaluate new scientific evidence, and promptly take any necessary actions to safeguard food safety in Singapore."
It cautioned, however, that the environment in which members of the public interact with can be easily contaminated with the virus, which is transmitted human-to-human via respiratory droplets and contact.
"Contact with food or food packaging is no different from contact with other non-food packaging and the environment (e.g. common touch surfaces such as lift buttons, door knobs, etc)," the SFA added.
It noted that while an infected person can contaminate the food or food packaging, the risk of infections of COVID-19 due to contact with contaminated surfaces of food and food packaging is very low.
This risk can be further reduced through good public and personal hygiene practices, the SFA stressed.
These include:
Seeking medical attention promptly and staying home if unwell
Washing hands with soap and water before eating and after going to the toilet
Cooking food thoroughly before eating
Avoid touching your face with your hands
Covering mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and throwing the tissue away into a bin immediately
Not engaging in any food handling or preparation if unwell
Not sharing food or drinks with other
Singapore on Tuesday confirmed 18 new COVID-19 cases, taking the country's total case count to 62,069. Fifteen are local transmissions in the community, making it the 37th consecutive day with local cases reported here.
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