
The International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) has recently published an opinion on Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which results in the illness Covid-19.
Because of the perceived food safety and food transmission issues, some countries are restricting food imports, testing imported products and/or asking for COVID-19 freedom statements/attestations. The ICMSF believes these controls are not scientifically justified as there is no documented evidence that food is a significant source and/or vehicle for transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
The ICMSF believes that it is highly unlikely that the ingestion of SARS-CoV-2 will result in illness and states that it is vital that one differentiates a hazard from a risk, i.e. the mere presence of an infectious agent on food does not necessarily mean that an infection will occur.
You can read the report in full here: