From cleaning to new policies granted by recent Congressional action, the coronavirus is changing the workplace in food and supplement facilities.
Scientific and medical authorities have declared that the coronavirus is not a food-borne agent and thus foods as well as dietary supplements are not carriers.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is COVID-19 is transferrable from person to person. And that means employees can spread the disease.
“The FDA, from the perspective that this is not a food-borne illness and transmittable that way, has said that facilities will not have to shut down,” said Miriam Guggenheim, a lawyer in the food, drug and device practice group at the Covington & Burling law firm. “The emphasis is on other employees, not the products you produce.”
Guggenheim still recommends employees at food and supplement facilities redouble their cleaning practices, with a focus on high-touch areas.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have both produced websites that show disinfectants, antiseptics, and other sanitizers that have been approved for use on the coronavirus.
Insurance claims
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the virus can survive up to four hours on copper, up to three days on plastic and stainless steel, and a day on cardboard.