Recently, traces of the Covid-19 coronavirus have been discovered in ice cream produced in China. This shocking discovery has led to a government recall of products and 1,662 employees placed in quarantine.
Because of that, fresh questions among people have been raised over the risks of catching the coronavirus from food. According to a report, three samples of ice cream had been found to contain traces of Sars-CoV-2, which causes the disease Covid-19.
The particular company that made the ice cream is the Daqiaodao Food Co., Ltd and it is located in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin which is adjacent to Beijing and it already has been sealed.
An investigation suggested that Ukrainian milk powder used to make the ice cream was the likely source. Three samples of the powder and two further samples of ice creams from the same batch were also found to contain the Sars-CoV-2. This was discovered after taking more than 2,800 samples from the ice cream, packaging, manufacturing plants, and retail stores.
There was no indication anyone had contracted the virus from the ice cream after employees were tested for the coronavirus. Authorities said that the company produced 4,836 Covid-19 contaminated ice cream boxes. Some 2,089 of which have already been sealed and contained in storage as of Jan. 14.
The ones sold in Tianjin stores were being tracked down. Most of the 29,000 cartons in the batch had yet to be sold. Authorities in other areas have been notified. A total of 21 ice creams remained unaccounted for. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the risk of catching Covid-19 from frozen food is low.
The contamination of ice cream is seen as a new risk as the food is consumed directly without heating or cooking first. The cold environment can also prolong the lifespan of the virus.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Mothership