“There is no scientific evidence to show that coronavirus spreads through eating chicken, mutton and seafood, FSSAI Chief G S G Ayyangar“
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO said,
There is a misconception that coronavirus (COVID-19) will spread through chicken, mutton and seafood. There is nothing like that. It is scientifically not proven.
FSSAI Chief G S G Ayyangar, who was earlier with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said it is a matter of time that vaccines for coronavirus will be developed as India has a good track of handling viruses.
The Government of India released a letter saying that poultry is safe to consume as it is not infected by the Coronavirus. The broiler chicken breed was claimed to be infected by the ongoing virus. This claim turned out to be a hoax and the commissioner of the Animal Husbandry denied all claims in a letter.
Fisheries, Dairying and Animal Husbandry Minister Giriraj Singh intends to publicly demonstrate his daily routine of eating two eggs every morning, in a bid to add weight to the Government’s urgent message that coronavirus infections do not spread through non-vegetarian cuisine.
He said “I am not speaking on behalf of meat processing companies, but the small farmers who depend on this sector for their livelihood. Further up the value chain, maize and soyabean farmers will also be affected, as their products are used to make animal feed, On the other side, 35% of the protein requirement of the country comes from this sector, so we must think of the nutrition impact as well.”
He also cited that World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which have both vouched for the safety of eating meat, saying that there is no scientific evidence indicating that the coronavirus is transmitted from animals to humans.
The Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry clarified that the chicken breed was not affected by the virus and all types of poultry in the country were safe. And the scientists have established it that the virus is spread by human to human contact, not through Meat & Seafood.
Also buying Meat & Seafood from cold chain based modern retail is highly safe since it’s are more accountable and maintains a safe & healthy environment for meat & seafood.
Reference:
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/coronavirus-does-not-spread-through-chicken-mutton-seafood-fssai-chief/articleshow/74492046.cms?from=mdr
- https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/coronavirus-does-not-spread-through-chicken-mutton-seafood-fssai-chief-1652793-2020-03-05
- https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/non-vegetarian-food-does-not-cause-covid-19-says-minister/article31003791.ece
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/coronavirus-scare-this-meat-is-safe-to-eat-says-government/photostory/74118225.cms
