Coronavirus: Check fack, Is it safe to eat meat and poultry?

Coronavirus is a respiratory infection which spreads through droplets transmitted in the air. There is no specific connection as to how the novel coronavirus or any virus can stay on chicken, meat or seafood and make it unfit for consumption. The same goes for eggs. Just because the virus originated from a poultry market in Wuhan, China, it doesn’t mean you have to give up on non-vegetarian, dairy, or poultry produce. For one, the family of coronaviruses need a host (human) to latch and develop on to and simply cannot grow in food. Hence, it is always suggested that any meat or poultry should undergo a thorough cooking process (minimum of 30 mins) to kill most germs and illness-causing viruses. The same methodology was found to effective in killing the SARS virus, which is similar to the COVID-19.

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In fact, Dr. Laxman Jessani, Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals , Navi Mumbai, believes that no food is actually unsafe, as long as you practice some needed precautions

“The SARS- CoV-2 virus is usually transmitted through direct contact with an infected person’s body fluids like from coughing or sneezing or indirectly through contact with surfaces.

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Coronaviruses need a host and cannot grow in food. “As far as food is concerned, there is currently no evidence that food can be a route of transmission of the virus or a determinant of any form of infection. So eating non-vegetarian food is perfectly safe. However, we can take some extra precautions and make sure any meat is washed and cooked thoroughly at a high temperature. Good hygienic practices must also be followed before consuming raw fruits and vegetables. We can also avoid going to slaughterhouses as a precautionary habit for the time being until the infection is controlled fully.”