"The food sector has implemented effective measures against the virus"
On Friday, June 26, the videoconference “Covid - 19: A Question for the Food Industry” took place, organized by the School of Food Engineering.
The talk was given by María Fernanda Morales, a research professor at ESPOL, who agreed to write a brief text for the UDA Campus on the main points of her presentation.
This talk was about how important is the SARS COV -2 virus for the food industry, and how related to food safety this virus is; as well as what are the preventive measures to be taken.
It was indicated that, in relation to food safety, the SARS-COV 2 virus has not yet been declared a virus that can be transmitted through food matrices and cause morbidity or mortality through the consumption of food contaminated by this virus.
On the other hand, mention was made of the possible controversy that may exist in some investigations when referring to the fact that 2% to 10% of patients with this disease presented symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
And that in the case of the SARS and MERS viruses, familiarly associated with the SARS-COV 2 virus, they had been found in hospital drains, considering, therefore, evidence of a fecal secretion of the viral particles of these two viruses ; and the ability to remain in conditions that could facilitate fecal-oral transmission; Therefore, the same transmission of the SARS –COV 2 virus should be considered, especially in areas with poor sanitary conditions.
At this point, it can be concluded that more research is still needed in this regard, and that up to now the virus is not a problem for food safety, but a problem for all personnel, not only that of the direct or indirect handling of food but also the administrative staff, and that - due to their absenteeism due to illness - impacts on the productive activity of the companies.
What is reality is that many of the prevention measures that have been implemented and controlled in the food production chain are measures applied to prevent microorganisms that can cause diseases transmitted by contaminated food, water and beverages.
Among these measures we have: proper hand washing, the use of protective clothing such as a mask, the prohibition of wearing jewelry, the prohibition of the use of cell phones in production areas. These measures have been emphasized and have been extended to all the personnel of the organizations.
Another point that was discussed was the concentrations of the chemicals used in the food sector, it must be emphasized that the concentrations used to combat the SRS COV 2 virus, such as 0.1% sodium hypochlorite (1000 ppm) , are not concentrations compatible with those used in cleaning and sanitizing operations during manufacturing or foodservice.
The United States Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 178, recommends up to 200 ppm to use hypochlorite for the disinfection of food contact surfaces, more than that concentration, this disinfectant needs to be rinsed off. Therefore, awareness must be taken at this point to be very careful and control over the concentrations of chemicals to be used and for what activity it is going to be applied.
Finally, it can be concluded that although there is insufficient evidence that the SARS COV 2 virus, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is a potential biological hazard that can be transmitted by contaminated food, water or beverages.
It must be admitted that the measures implemented by the food sector to prevent the introduction of microorganisms in the production chain that can cause diseases transmitted by said contaminated matrices have greatly mitigated the transmission of the COVID-19 disease among its personnel; and it is very important to point out that it has facilitated its understanding by the personnel who must be continuously trained.
