Consumer’s are worried about this question but based on what is now known about the coronavirus, the illness is not spread through the food supply. So the answer is that the food you eat itself will not infect you with Covid-19. The Food and Drug Administration asserts that there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with coronavirus.
All that said – there’s a caveat to Coronavirus and food and that is if someone coughs on your food, or shares your spoon, you may be vulnerable to Covid-19.
Coronavirus spreads via droplet transmission. When an infected person coughs or sneezes without a mask, droplets of saliva and mucus can fall onto surfaces and even onto your body if you are close enough to them. Hence the call for ‘social distancing’. Most transmission occurs when these droplets make their way into your mouth, nose, or eyes. That’s why hand hygiene and avoiding touching your face are so important.
If you are near someone with coronavirus and they cough over or near your food, then the food could make you sick. Sharing cutlery or glasses with people with coronavirus could also pass on the infection. If you suspect that the virus somehow landed on your food it’s probably best not to eat that food. At the least, it’s important to cook food to 165 degrees as this is a universal temperature which will protect you from germs. Some foods, of course, don’t need cooking at all and so general standard food safety practices should be adhered to.
So in most cases you can eat what you normally eat without fear of it giving you Covid-19.