Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar : The Drug and food control organization Kashmir, Saturday cautioned people against eating raw, undercooked meat and unprocessed food products.
“Though there is no risk to catch the Covid-19 disease from eating chicken and mutton, but yes people must not eat raw or undercooked meat and unprocessed food products, Assistant Food commissioner, Hilal Ahmad Mir told Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) over phone.
Coronavirus predominately affects the respiratory system and spreads from human to human via droplets while sneezing, coughing, contaminated hands and surfaces.
He told KINS that as a precautionary measure, we advised people to avoid consumption of raw or undercooked meat as well as unprocessed food products.
“Frozen food items must be consumed only after cooking them properly. Good hygienic practices must be followed before consuming raw fruits and vegetables, Mir said.
He further said that they we are keeping a close watch on the situation. “Transmission through food is unlikely and so far there is no evidence that people have become infected by swallowing the virus in or on food,” he maintained.
When asked that another misconception doing the round is that one might contract the virus from imported goods packed in affected countries, Mir said “The virus is not going to be transported in a box, adding, “There is no evidence that anyone has got infected from a package”.
It is to mention here that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has claimed that they have not found any “conclusive evidence” of the food-borne transmission of the deadly virus.”
“There is no scientific evidence to show that coronavirus spreads through eating chicken, mutton and seafood, FSSAI chief G S G Ayyangar had said.
“There is a misconception that coronavirus will spread through chicken, mutton and seafood. There is nothing like that. It is scientifically not proven,” he had said. (KINS)
