Can the Coronavirus be Transmitted through Food and Toys?

More+More+ ♦ Published: March 4, 2020; 20:00 ♦ (Vindobona)

After the occurrence of infections in Austria due to the respiratory disease COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the question repeatedly arises whether the virus can also be transmitted through food and toys?

The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety currently sees no evidence that people could become infected through the consumption of food. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Lionel Allorge / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

According to the current state of knowledge, food is safe and cannot be considered a carrier of the virus.

In order to protect oneself, general hygiene measures such as regular hand washing and disinfection are important," states the Austrian Food Industry Association. …