AFFI Reaffirms Coronavirus is Not Transmitted by Frozen Food
The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) reaffirms the safety of frozen foods after Chinese officials reported frozen proteins tested positive for coronavirus.
“The overwhelming scientific consensus is that SARS-CoV-2, unlike norovirus and hepatitis A, is not transmitted by the consumption of potentially contaminated foods. The virus is unlikely to be in food, but even if it were, SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted by respiratory, not gastrointestinal routes,” said former NoroCORE Scientific Director and top food virologist Dr. Lee-Ann Jaykus. “While we do freeze viruses to store them, there is no science that points to the link between surface contamination of food and the contraction of COVID-19.”