COVID-19 exposure risk extremely low for pigs and poultry: FAO

The risk of exposure to the coronavirus from contact with pigs and poultry is extremely low, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

FAO released a report assessing the risk of exposure—as opposed to infection—between humans and animals, as well as from contact with food items. Because of a lack of information, researchers couldn’t determine the risk of exposure from contact with cows, horses, rabbits and some other species.

Exposure risk is considered low for raw pig and poultry products if they’re processed and sold in retail shops that meet international hygiene standards. Risk is also thought to be negligible for “sufficiently heat-treated products” that come from any animal species, the organization said.

According to WattAgNet, the conclusions that FAO reached correspond with a study published earlier this year by German researchers, who found that chicken and pigs aren’t susceptible to COVID-19 and don’t pose additional risk to human health.

There’s no evidence that handling or consuming food spreads the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s possible that touching contaminated surfaces, like food packaging, then touching the mouth or nose could spread the virus. But that’s not the main way public health experts think the virus spreads.