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It is suggested rigorous testing is urgently needed to accurately test food which may contain SARS coV-2 as a result of a worker with the virus contaminating the food before it reaches the consumer. Testing workers is a number 1 priority. Testing food before it is packaged and despatched is the second priority.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, testing for virus infection in foods was developed after children in Germany became ill after eating strawberries picked and frozen in China. See https://www.eurofins.com/food-and-feed-testing/food-testing-services/microbiology/virus-detection/
Many countries, such as the USA, rely on undocumented, immigrant workers to maintain their food supply chain. There are about 175,000 in the USA. Often unable to speak English, intimidated by the gangs who organise them and their employers, desperate for money to live and to one day enjoy life without fear, these people may fall ill but dare not stop working or tell their employers they feel ill.
“Still, most jobs are rural, limiting workers’ access to lawyers, favorable union laws and other jobs. Hourly pay averages as low as $12.50 for backbreaking work, often conducted side-by-side. Workers who entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas fear deportation for speaking up.
“Vulnerable populations work well for them,” Joshua Specht, a University of Notre Dame professor, said of the industry.”
https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-05-26/meatpacking-industry-immigrant-undocumented-workers
Consumers are now nervous about eating pre-packaged food which may carry infections, though some experts have said they have no reason to believe Covid-19 can be passed on this way.
There are signs of the public concern growing which is reflected in trends for testing. See https://www.openpr.com/news/2076282/latest-regulatory-trends-impacting-the-food-safety-testing
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