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Chinese Authorities Seize Thousands of Ice Cream Boxes Tainted by Coronavirus

Chinese factory closed and workers tested for COVID-19 after major ice cream contamination hazard

By Rui AlvesPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Photo by Steve Buissinne on Pixabay

The SARS-CoV-2 contaminated ice cream was found in the Daqiaodao Food Co. factory, located in Tianjin, a hundred kilometers from Beijing. The facility has been closed while employees are being tested.

Chinese authorities confirmed that they detected traces of the new coronavirus in ice cream produced by that factory in eastern China, leading to its closure.

On 15 January, Yang Cheng, ChinaDaily correspondent in Tianjin, wrote the following regarding this topic:

The city has launched a campaign to close down cold storage houses related to the ice cream since then. The company said it had produced 4,836 boxes, and 1,812 had been sold to various provinces.

So far, a total of 2,089 boxes of the ice cream had been sealed up. Each box contains six ice cream products, each of which having a net weight of 450 grams. Most of the 935 boxes entering the local market have not sold out (…)

Today, official sources, cited by the Associated Press, report that most of the 29,000 cartons in the batch had yet to be sold.

According to the same source, around 390 units already sold were recalled. The ingredients include powdered milk imported from New Zealand and powdered whey from Ukraine.

There have been reports of food contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in the past. Back in August 2020, Chinese authorities allegedly found traces of the virus in chicken wings. Afterward, the contamination source was traced back to a Brazilian meat plant.

Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry responded to allegations in accordance with the WHO official statement:

“There is no scientific evidence of transmission of the COVID-19 virus from frozen food or food packaging."

According to science

Coronaviruses and cold temperatures:

A study published by the American Society for Microbiology: Effects of Air Temperature and Relative Humidity on Coronavirus Survival on Surfacesfound that both lower temperatures and lower humidity helped viruses survive longer.

Viruses that are related to the COVID-19 virus to look at the effects of temperature and humidity on viral survival. Researchers found that both lower temperatures and lower humidity helped viruses survive longer. In particular, at 4 degrees C, or 40 degrees F, and 20% relative humidity, more than two thirds of the viruses survived for 28 days. On the other end of the spectrum, at 40 degrees C, or 104 degrees F, and 80% humidity, the viruses survived for less than 6 hours.

This suggests that coronaviruses survive better on surfaces at colder temperatures. It is also expected that the virus would survive being frozen, however, there's not enough science-based data regarding this topic.

Potential transmission of COVID-19 via food:

Please check the WHO's official page for the most recent news and updates regarding coronavirus disease (COVID-19) food safety and nutrition measures and regulations.

Regarding the potential transmission of COVID-19 via food, the WHO official statement reads as follows:

Potential transmission of COVID-19 via food It is highly unlikely that people can contract COVID-19 from food or food packaging.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness and the primary transmission route is through person-to-person contact and through direct contact with respiratory droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

There is no evidence to date of viruses that cause respiratory illnesses being transmitted via food or food packaging.

Coronaviruses cannot multiply in food; they need an animal or human host to multiply.

Disclaimer:

Help to stop the spread of misinformation. You'll find hereafter how to report it online according to the WHO.

Currently, there’s an overabundance of information related to COVID-19; some of this information may be false and potentially harmful.

This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It only depicts my personal experience and should not be considered Health Advice. Please report to your local health authority for accurate and official guidance.

If you see content online that you believe to be false or misleading, you can report it to the hosting social media platform.

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About the Creator

Rui Alves

Hi, I'm Rui Alves, a teacher, army veteran & digital pathfinder. Author, alchemist of sound & Gen-AI artist.

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