www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
World
Home / World / Asia-Pacific

Infection link to packaging stirs debate

By KARL WILSON in Sydney | China Daily Global | Updated: 2020-08-21 11:26
Share
Share - WeChat

Experts look into durability of virus in food chain, with focus on cold storage

An employee works with frozen food, inside a large refrigerated chamber at Ecofrio company in Tlalnepantla state of Mexico, Mexico Feb 27, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

Can the coronavirus be carried on the packaging of refrigerated food?

It is a question scientists around the world are debating as more cases appear to come from frozen food packaging such as cardboard and plastic.

While the incidence is low, it nevertheless poses serious questions for global supply chains.

And despite the very limited likelihood of catching COVID-19 from packaged refrigerated food, an element of risk remains, scientists said.

The recent outbreak in New Zealand, which had been coronavirus-free for 102 days until fresh cases were recorded on Aug 11, came as a complete surprise to the nation of 5 million.

The locally acquired cases of coronavirus were confirmed in New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland, which prompted the government to introduce strict level three lockdown measures on Aug 12.

The source of the outbreak was traced to a cold storage facility which handled imported frozen foods.

It was first thought the virus had been brought in on the packaging of frozen food-a theory now under investigation in China, which has had similar cases in recent weeks.

On Aug 18, New Zealand's health department said the virus did not originate from frozen food shipments.

"It seems clear now that the possibility is being ruled out from that investigation," said Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield, according to Reuters, without supplying details of the investigation.

Officials in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, recently found traces of the virus on imported chicken wing shipments.

While the virus can survive at low temperatures, the question is for how long.

Sacha Stelzer-Braid, a virologist in Australia at the University of New South Wales, said the COVID-19 virus can remain infectious at low temperatures.

"We store the virus in freezers," she said. "While the virus can survive in low temperatures, its infectivity will diminish over time."

However, she doubts that refrigeration is a primary source for infection. "The evidence we have so far is that the virus is transmitted via droplets in the air, not on the wrapping of food products.

"If you work in cold storage and have the virus, you are excreting it as you cough or sneeze. The droplets while airborne will eventually land on the coating, such as plastic."She said the coating will remain infectious during transport.

When the products arrive, they are unpacked, but the probability of getting the virus is "very low", she said, adding that the longer the virus remains frozen, the "weaker it becomes".

'No simple answers'

Tim Newsome, an associate professor and a virologist at the University of Sydney, said there are "no simple answers, as transmission is a complex chain of events".

"How long it can last on packaging in the real world will depend on all of these parameters," Newsome said.

"Another question that needs more work is how do you get the virus from packaging to causing disease in your lungs, and what quantities are needed."

Donald Schaffner, a professor and director of Rutgers' food science graduate program in the United States, said the virus can survive for long periods of time under frozen conditions.

"The primary risk is with the packaging," Schaffner told NJ Advance Media on July 31.

Associate Professor Rowland Cobbold from the University of Queensland, an expert in zoonotic diseases, as well as food safety in meat and microbiology, said:"Like many viruses, COVID-19 survives better in colder temperatures."

But how long it can survive depends on the specific environmental conditions, he said.

Those conditions range from temperature, humidity and ultraviolet exposure to the surface where the virus is located, he said.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 看欧美的一级毛片 | 免费ab| a毛片久久免费观看 | 国产专区一区 | 国产精品高清在线观看地址 | 成年人午夜影院 | 国产小片 | 在线观看欧美亚洲日本专区 | 亚洲精品一区二区三区中文字幕 | 看亚洲a级一级毛片 | 91国内精品久久久久免费影院 | 国产欧美一区二区另类精品 | 亚洲国产高清在线精品一区 | 中国一级毛片特级毛片 | 成年女人在线观看片免费视频 | 国产亚洲综合精品一区二区三区 | 国产精品久久一区一区 | 欧美性妇| 国产在线播放一区 | 欧美久久久久久久一区二区三区 | 中国性猛交xxxxx免费看 | 精品视频久久 | 亚洲精品资源网在线观看 | 国产一区二区精品在线观看 | 久久一级片 | 一级毛片中文字幕 | 日韩视频专区 | 久久久久久久一线毛片 | 一个人看的日本www的免费视频 | 久久久久国产一级毛片高清片 | 日韩国产欧美在线观看 | 成人在线91 | 万全影院亚洲影院理论片 | 亚洲天堂视频在线观看免费 | 99www综合久久爱com | 成年人免费看视频 | 欧美aaa| 国产盗摄一区二区 | 国产自产自拍 | 欧美zoofilia杂交videos | 免费观看欧美一级高清 |