Request
Your request was about the following information:
'Using lateral flow tests people have now carried out thousands of tests on food products with many actualy testing positive for covid 19.
I decided to try this myself and one product I tested came up positive for covid 19.
Could you please explain how covid 19 has made its way into the food chain and why you have failed to inform the public?
If you believe it isn't in the food chain this must mean the lateral flow tests are faulty and therefore we have been subject to lockdowns and restrictions based on false evidence.'
Response
There is currently no evidence that food is a source of coronavirus (COVID-19) and it is very unlikely it can be transmitted through the consumption of food. This has been established by international expert opinion published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). The Food Standards Agency has also undertaken a risk assessment on the risk of food or food contact materials as a transmission route for SARS-CoV2, which concluded the risk as very low. Further detail on the assessment and evidence can be found in their report (Qualitative risk assessment on the risk of food or food contact materials as a transmission route for SARS-CoV-2 | Food Standards Agency). Pilgrim House, Old Ford Road, Aberdeen, AB11 5RL www.foodstandards.gov.scot COVID-19 is a respiratory illness and the transmission route of COVID-19 occurs mainly through direct contact with respiratory droplets and smaller aerosols generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or exhales. It is possible for COVID-19 to be spread indirectly when someone touches a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touches their mouth or nose, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. Thorough and frequent handwashing will further reduce any risk of spreading COVID-19 indirectly through contact with potentially contaminated surfaces. Whilst food is not considered to be a source or transmission route for COVID-19 it’s always important to follow the four key steps of food safety—cooking, cleaning, chilling and preventing cross contamination – to reduce the risks of any foodborne illness. Whilst lateral flow testing is now being used extensively across the food industry as a means of identifying workers who may have been infected with COVID-19, FSS is unaware of any published scientific studies involving lateral flow testing of food products. It is important to also note that positive detection via testing does not equate to a transmission risk. In the absence of this evidence we are unable to comment on your contention that thousands of tests have been undertaken with many of these testing positive for COVID-19. If this is something you would like us to further investigate we would require more information, including relevant data sets and references where available.
