By: Nolan Weidner
Wampsville, N.Y. — Produce from a Madison County greenhouse business that has been hard hit by the coronavirus should be safe for public consumption, even though many of its workers tested positive for the virus, the county’s public health director said today.
“It’s a respiratory disease,” Eric Faisst said. “You’re not getting it through ingestion. You have to literally introduce it through your nose or mouth.”
Faisst made the comments during a news briefing to address a spike in coronavirus cases at Green Empire Farms a huge indoor growing facility on the western edge of Oneida that employs approximately 300 workers.
Some 139 workers at the facility, which grows strawberries, tomatoes and other produce, have tested positive for COVID-19 - most of them from tests conducted in the past several days. Two of the workers have been hospitalized, and the county is awaiting results of another round of testing.
"There's no evidence that the virus is spread by food," Faisst said. "This isn't something you get by eating."
Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backs Faisst up.
“Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread from person to person through respiratory droplets,” the center’s website states. “Currently, there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food. Before preparing or eating food it is important to always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds for general food safety.”
Faisst said the virus could live on fruits such as strawberries or tomatoes for up to three days, but it is unlikely it would transmitted that way.
Adds the CDC: "It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object, like a packaging container, that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
"In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging."
Madison County Board of Supervisors chairman John Becker said he hasn't heard anything about the greenhouse suspending operations.
The county, he said, doesn’t have the authority to ask the company to stop production. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets would have to make that call.
Green Empire Farms is a subsidiary of a Canadian business, Mastronardi Produce.
Here’s a statement from company president Paul Mastronardi and some FAQ.
Article Obtained from: https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/05/is-food-from-coronavirus-hot-spot-in-madison-county-safe.html
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