Qualitative risk assessment on the risk of food or food contact materials as a transmission route for SARS-CoV-2

We consider that the probability that UK consumers will receive potentially infectious exposures of SARS-CoV-2 via the consumption of food or the handling of food contact materials or packaging is Very Low (“very rare but cannot be excluded”). The uncertainty associated with this estimate is High partly as there are significant data gaps relating specifically to SARS-CoV-2; a number of assumptions in this document are therefore based on data relating to other coronaviruses (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV).