TY - JOUR
T1 - Decontamination of SARS-CoV-2 from cold-chain food packaging provides no marginal benefit in risk reduction to food workers
AU - Sobolik, Julia S.
AU - Sajewski, Elizabeth T.
AU - Jaykus, Lee Ann
AU - Cooper, D. Kane
AU - Lopman, Ben A.
AU - Kraay, Alicia N.M.
AU - Ryan, P. Barry
AU - Guest, Jodie L.
AU - Webb-Girard, Amy
AU - Leon, Juan S.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was partially supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 grant (J.S.S., grant 2T32ES012870-16 ), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (J.S.L. 2019-67017-29642 ; J.S.S., grant 2020-67034-31728 ), the National Institute General Medical Sciences (B.A.L R01 GM124280 ; B.A.L R01 GM124280-03S1 ), and the NIH (E.T.S., T32AI138952 ) and Emory University's Infectious Disease Across Scales Training Program (E.T.S). The contents of this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - Countries continue to debate the need for decontamination of cold-chain food packaging to reduce possible severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) fomite transmission among frontline workers. While laboratory-based studies demonstrate persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces, the likelihood of fomite-mediated transmission under real-life conditions is uncertain. Using a quantitative microbial risk assessment model of a frozen food packaging facility, we simulated 1) SARS-CoV-2 fomite-mediated infection risks following worker exposure to contaminated plastic packaging; and 2) reductions in these risks from masking, handwashing, and vaccination. In a frozen food facility without interventions, SARS-CoV-2 infection risk to a susceptible worker from contact with contaminated packaging was 1.5 × 10−3 per 1h-period (5th – 95th percentile: 9.2 × 10−6, 1.2 × 10−2). Standard food industry infection control interventions, handwashing and masking, reduced risk (99.4%) to 8.5 × 10−6 risk per 1h-period (5th – 95th percentile: 2.8 × 10−8, 6.6 × 10−5). Vaccination of the susceptible worker (two doses Pfizer/Moderna, vaccine effectiveness: 86–99%) with handwashing and masking reduced risk to 5.2 × 10−7 risk per 1h-period (5th – 95th percentile: 1.8 × 10−9, 5.4 × 10−6). Simulating increased transmissibility of current and future variants (Delta, Omicron), (2-, 10-fold viral shedding) among a fully vaccinated workforce, handwashing and masking continued to mitigate risk (1.4 × 10−6 - 8.8 × 10−6 risk per 1h-period). Additional decontamination of frozen food plastic packaging reduced infection risks to 1.2 × 10−8 risk per 1h-period (5th – 95th percentile: 1.9 × 10−11, 9.5 × 10−8). Given that standard infection control interventions reduced risks well below 1 × 10−4 (World Health Organization water quality risk thresholds), additional packaging decontamination suggest no marginal benefit in risk reduction. Consequences of this decontamination may include increased chemical exposures to workers, food quality and hazard risks to consumers, and unnecessary added costs to governments and the global food industry.
AB - Countries continue to debate the need for decontamination of cold-chain food packaging to reduce possible severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) fomite transmission among frontline workers. While laboratory-based studies demonstrate persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces, the likelihood of fomite-mediated transmission under real-life conditions is uncertain. Using a quantitative microbial risk assessment model of a frozen food packaging facility, we simulated 1) SARS-CoV-2 fomite-mediated infection risks following worker exposure to contaminated plastic packaging; and 2) reductions in these risks from masking, handwashing, and vaccination. In a frozen food facility without interventions, SARS-CoV-2 infection risk to a susceptible worker from contact with contaminated packaging was 1.5 × 10−3 per 1h-period (5th – 95th percentile: 9.2 × 10−6, 1.2 × 10−2). Standard food industry infection control interventions, handwashing and masking, reduced risk (99.4%) to 8.5 × 10−6 risk per 1h-period (5th – 95th percentile: 2.8 × 10−8, 6.6 × 10−5). Vaccination of the susceptible worker (two doses Pfizer/Moderna, vaccine effectiveness: 86–99%) with handwashing and masking reduced risk to 5.2 × 10−7 risk per 1h-period (5th – 95th percentile: 1.8 × 10−9, 5.4 × 10−6). Simulating increased transmissibility of current and future variants (Delta, Omicron), (2-, 10-fold viral shedding) among a fully vaccinated workforce, handwashing and masking continued to mitigate risk (1.4 × 10−6 - 8.8 × 10−6 risk per 1h-period). Additional decontamination of frozen food plastic packaging reduced infection risks to 1.2 × 10−8 risk per 1h-period (5th – 95th percentile: 1.9 × 10−11, 9.5 × 10−8). Given that standard infection control interventions reduced risks well below 1 × 10−4 (World Health Organization water quality risk thresholds), additional packaging decontamination suggest no marginal benefit in risk reduction. Consequences of this decontamination may include increased chemical exposures to workers, food quality and hazard risks to consumers, and unnecessary added costs to governments and the global food industry.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Cold-chain fomite-mediated transmission
KW - Plastic packaging
KW - Quantitative microbial risk assessment
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U2 - 10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.108845
DO - 10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.108845
M3 - Article
C2 - 35075333
AN - SCOPUS:85123893910
SN - 0956-7135
VL - 136
JO - Food Control
JF - Food Control
M1 - 108845
ER -