The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are continuing to underscore that there is no credible evidence of food or food packaging transmitting SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19.
In a statement, Janet Woodcock M.D., acting commissioner of food and drugs at the FDA said, “Our confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply remains steadfast. Consumers should be reassured that we continue to believe, based on our understanding of currently available reliable scientific information, and supported by overwhelming international scientific consensus, that the foods they eat and food packaging they touch are highly unlikely to spread SARS-CoV-2.”
Woodcock continued, “In addition, considering the more than 100 million cases of COVID-19, we have not seen epidemiological evidence of food or food packaging as the source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to humans. Furthermore, transmission has not been attributed to food products or packaging through national and international surveillance systems. Food business operations continue to produce a steady supply of safe food following current good manufacturing practices and preventive controls, focusing on good hygiene practices and keeping workers safe.”
Related: Regulatory Movement Amid the Pandemic; 2020 FSMA Round Up.