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New parameters of food safety after Corona pandemic

New parameters of food safety after Corona pandemic

Food is a necessary component of life since it gives us the nutrition we need to survive, but the epidemic has put the entire food chain in an unusual situation. Lack of sufficient food, in conjunction with labor shortages, broken supply chains, and concern over related health risks caused insufficiency of wholesome nutrition and unnecessary food scarcity during the covid pandemic. The responsible authorities should have adopted several prophylactic measures to lessen these detrimental effects on the food system. 

The most urgent concerns regarding nutrition, food security, and safety will be discussed in this article, along with innovative methods to strengthen the food system for the post-pandemic era and mitigation strategies.

Health and nutrition during COVID-19

Our health and happiness are significantly impacted by the food we eat. The immune system is strengthened by diets high in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), functional foods with bioactive molecules (antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and immune boosters), herbs, spices, dietary fibers, and probiotics, which all help prevent viral infections.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, individuals should consume eight to ten glasses of water daily. Also include two cups of fruits and vegetables each, as well as whole grains, legumes, nuts, meat, milk, eggs, and fish. WHO also advises minimizing the intake of salt, sugar, and highly processed meals that are high in saturated fats and refined carbohydrates, as well as moderate fat and oil consumption.

Food safety

To date, there have been no reports that indicate COVID-19 is a foodborne illness. However, if the individual handling the food is infected and then sneezes or coughs directly on the food, it has been reported that SARS-CoV-2 transmission by food is feasible. The other possible transmission pathways include touching contaminated food packaging or eating raw meat from an infected animal.

It's crucial to make sure that good hygiene practices are properly put into practice to reduce the risk of food contamination in facilities that process food. Additionally, it's essential that those working in the food industry adhere to strict social segregation and sanitization procedures when handling raw materials, processing, storing, and distributing finished food products to consumers.

Furthermore, it's important to regularly disinfect locations that get a lot of touches, such as taps, doors, windows, and machine handles. Face masks, gloves, face shields, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) can help prevent the transfer of infection from person to person and from person to food.

General guidelines for food safety

  • The recommended temperature of the food should be reached when cooking.
  • Prepare raw beef and raw fish on separate cutting boards.
  • Only use pristine plates and cutlery.
  • Before preparing any meal, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Before eating, make sure that you and your kids wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Try to recycle or properly dispose of food waste and packaging to prevent an accumulation of rubbish that can attract bugs.
  • Keep perishable foods as cold or frozen as possible, and be aware of product expiration dates.

Conclusion:

Maintaining a balanced diet can give us the nutrients we need for a robust immune system, even though no food or dietary supplement will prevent or treat COVID-19 infection. In other words, the food and beverages we consume can impact our bodies' capacity to fend off diseases and heal from them.

References

World Health Organization [WHO] (2020). Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic. Geneva: WHO.

Galanakis CM. (2020). The Food Systems in the Era of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Crisis. Foods, 9(4), 523.

Darnell MER, Subbarao K, Feinstone SM, Taylor DR. (2004). Inactivation of the coronavirus that induces severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS-CoV. Journal of Virological Methods, 121(1), 85–91.

Leclercq I, Batejat C, Burguière AM, Manuguerra JC. (2014). Heat inactivation of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, 8(5), 585–586.

Chin A, Chu J, Perera M, Hui K, Yen H-L, Chan M, Poon L. (2020). Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions. MedRxiv.

Van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH, Holbrook MG, Gamble A, Williamson B N, et al. (2020). Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(16), 1564–1567.

Sportelli MC, Izzi M, Kukushkina EA, Hossain SI, Picca RA, Ditaranto N, Cioffi N. (2020). Can Nanotechnology and Materials Science Help the Fight against SARS-CoV-2. Nanomaterials, 10(4), 802.

COVID-19 and its impact on the food system

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About Let’sLive

Let’sLive is a social empowerment enterprise committed to enhancing and improving the livelihoods of tribal and farming communities. We work directly with small-scale farmers so that our customers can get access to products that are natural, pristine, and picked from the lap of nature. We encourage and provide advice for practicing ethical farming and eco-friendly methods to all those who partner with us.

At Let'sLive we are passionate about bringing 100% all-natural and healthy products directly from the farming and tribal communities to your doorstep like Pure Raw Honey, Traditional varieties of rice, etc. We want our consumers to enjoy and have direct access to products that are pristine and picked directly from the lap of nature. The mandates by which we operate are:
* Value every life around us by encouraging ethical farming
* Leverage local knowledge and promote legacy harvesting practices with high hygienic standards
* No preservatives or artificial processing on any of our products
* Each product can be traced to its origins and the people involved in its making
* Educate consumers on the importance of consuming rich and natural local produce

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