Buzz
Chinese officials have recently detected traces of the coronavirus on frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil. However, experts assert that food—whether frozen or not—is not a significant risk for the virus.
As Maria van Kerkhove of the World Health Organization pointed out during a press conference (covered here by Bloomberg), no cases have been reported where someone contracted COVID-19 from food. The CDC says the “risk of getting COVID-19 from food, treated drinking water, or food packaging is very low.”
In an interview with The New York Times disease ecologist C. Brandon Ogbunu and virologist Angela Rasmussen stated that “an extraordinarily unusual series of events would need to occur for the virus to be transmitted via a frozen meat product.”
While there are some viruses and bacteria that can be spread through food, the virus responsible for COVID-19 doesn’t appear to be one of them. It’s an enveloped virus, meaning it has a fragile outer layer, which can easily be destroyed by various factors—including the heat from cooking.
Just a quick reminder, you should always cook your raw chicken before eating it and wash your hands afterward. Continue doing so, and you'll be perfectly safe.
