Advice For Food Businesses on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Amidst growing concern over the spread of the virus, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) issued a statement on their website on 9.3.2020 saying the disease is unlikely to be spread via food and added they are closely monitoring the situation as any new information about the outbreak comes to light. EFSA’s chief scientist Marta Hugas said that “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 ocur.”

However, although researchers are still learning the specifics of how COVID-19 is transmitted, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has confirmed that the virus is spreading from person to person mainly via respiratory droplets that people sneeze, cough, or exhale.

Despite this, Belgian health authorities have recently taken the decision not to serve rare steaks and meats in restaurants and cafeterias.

This is in line with food safety precautions of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has issued precautionary recommendations including advice on following good hygiene practices during food handling and preparation, such as washing hands, cooking meat thoroughly and avoiding potential cross-contamination between cooked and uncooked foods.

How long does COVID-19 last on surfaces?

According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions like type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment. If you think a surface may be contaminated, clean it with a common household disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth or nose.

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?

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. 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?

Food businesses can continue to practice good food handling hygiene. A food handler should wash their hands at every stage of preperation, serving and cashier’s.

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 like door handles, tables, chairs, salt&pepper shakers, sugar bowls, communal cutlery containers, and eftpos keypad.

Do tables need to be 1 meter apart in cafes and restaurants?

Placing tables at least one meter apart will help customers feel comfortable and achieve the social distancing currently advised.