FSSAI: Food imported from COVID-19-hit nations safe

AGARTALA: Imported food, including those from COVID-19-hit countries, is “safe” for consumption, according to a top Tripura health official here on Sunday.

Tripura Health and Family Welfare Director Radha Debbarma said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had notified that any imported foods and consumable items, even from coronavirus-affected countries, were “fully safe” for human consumption.

“After concerns over their safety, the FSSAI set up a committee of experts. The group didn’t find any ‘conclusive evidence’ of the food-borne transmission of coronavirus. Cooked meat, including chickens, duck, poultry, and goat are safe to eat,” she said

But as a precautionary measure, the panel has advised avoidance of consumption of raw or undercooked meat as well as unprocessed food products.

Coronavirus affects the respiratory system of a person. It spreads human to human by means of droplets while sneezing, coughing, contaminated hands and surfaces.

The FSSAI, under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was set up in 2006 to handle food-related issues. “Frozen foods kept in refrigerators for a long time should be cooked properly before use,” Debbarma said. (IANS)

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