WHO issues guidance on food risk amid coronavirus pandemic

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organisation has issued guidelines on food risks. Taking to Twitter, the Geneva-based organisation explained that though there wasn’t any evidence that coronavirus could spread from food and food packaging, some people were afraid of getting infected that way. As of now, OCVID-19 has infected 4,116,513 and killed 280,608  across the world.

'Five keys to safer food'

In its ‘Five keys to safer food’, WHO instructed people to ‘keep clean’. It urged people to wash their hands before and during the preparation of the food along with washing and sanitizing surfaces and equipment used. It added that people should keep the kitchen and cooking area free of pests and insects. It also asked people to 'separate cooked and raw' food, adding that people should use separate knives as utensils for handling raw food and asked them to store both types of food in different containers.

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It also asked people to ‘cook thoroughly’ especially meat, poultry, eggs, and seas food. The health organisation said that while boiling soups and stews, they should make sure that the temperature reaches 70 C and that the juices of meat and poultry are clear, not pink. It also asked people to reheat cooked food thoroughly. 

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The Geneva-based organisation also asked people to 'keep food at safe temperatures' adding that cooked food should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. In addendum, it added that one should promptly refrigerate all cooked and perishable adding that no food should be stored in refrigerator for long. It further asked people to make sure they 'use safe water and raw materials'. It stressed that people should use fresh and wholesome fruits and asked them to use food processed for safety. It also instructed people to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly.

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