Do we have to worry if we reach into the fruit display? (Icon image) Image: Getty Images / VLG
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Do corona viruses survive on food? A microbiologist explains
Fears and the corona virus are closely intertwined. Fear of infection. Afraid of the consequences. Fear of infected. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. Then there is the fear of door handles, breathing air, shopping trolleys – wherever viruses are suspected.
And yes: sometimes this fear is justified. Does it help Keep your distance and only leave the house when necessary. She also brings regular and thorough hand washing. However, some fears are largely unjustified.
For example, the viruses do not stay in the air long enough to become dangerous. And they only survive on surfaces for a short time and are usually only available in very small quantities – washing hands cannot hurt.
However, this leads to another question: What about food? After all, apples, bananas and bread are lying around open in the supermarket. The fact that we eat some things directly when we come home from shopping could increase the risk of infection.
No fear
The microbiologist Ricarda Schmithausen dealt with the question. She has been driving through Heinsberg for some time and takes samples in the homes of people affected by Corona for evaluation at the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health in the University Clinic in Bonn. Food was also included in these samples.
“We examined kiwifruit, apples and other foods. Everything that was on the table,” she says at “Stern TV”. To make it short:
Or translated: There were not enough pathogens on the food to be really dangerous. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment also writes that food transmission is rather unlikely.
Hygiene rules still apply
However, the test also indicates that the general hygiene rules should be observed when handling the food, about the preparation. In addition, the risk of infection can be reduced by heating the food – at best above 60 degrees.
(tkr)
