Covid-19 pandemic in the lens of food safety and security

Nyuk Ling Ma; Wanxi Peng; Chin Fhong Soon; Muhamad Fairus Noor Hassim; Suzana Misbah; Zaidah Rahmat; Wilson Thau Lym Yong; Christian Sonne

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2020.110405

Covid-19 pandemic in the lens of food safety and security

Environ Res. 2021 Feb:193:110405. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110405. Epub 2020 Oct 29.

Authors

Nyuk Ling Ma¹, Wanxi Peng², Chin Fhong Soon³, Muhamad Fairus Noor Hassim⁴, Suzana Misbah⁴, Zaidah Rahmat⁵, Wilson Thau Lym Yong⁶, Christian Sonne⁷

Affiliations

¹ Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value-added Products, School of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China; Biological Security and Sustainability Research Group (BIOSES), Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia. Electronic address: nyukling@umt.edu.my.
² Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value-added Products, School of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
³ Biosensor and Bioengineering Laboratory, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology-Shamsuddin Research Centre, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia.
⁴ Biological Security and Sustainability Research Group (BIOSES), Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.
⁵ Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia; Institute of Bioproduct Development (IBD), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Electronic address: zaidahrahmat@utm.my.
⁶ Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Electronic address: wilsonyg@ums.edu.my.
⁷ Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value-added Products, School of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China; Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Danish Centre for Environment and Energy (DCE), Frederiksborgvej 399, POBox 358, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark. Electronic address: cs@bios.au.dk.

Abstract

The recently emerged coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has been characterised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), is impacting all parts of human society including agriculture, manufacturing, and tertiary sectors involving all service provision industries. This paper aims to give an overview of potential host reservoirs that could cause pandemic outbreak caused by zoonotic transmission. Amongst all, continues surveillance in slaughterhouse for possible pathogens transmission is needed to prevent next pandemic outbreak. This paper also summarizes the potential threats of pandemic to agriculture and aquaculture sector that control almost the total food supply chain and market. The history lesson from the past, emerging and reemerging infectious disease including the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002, Influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) in 2009, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 and the recent COVID-19 should give us some clue to improve especially the governance to be more ready for next coming pandemic.

Keywords: Food safety; Food security; Food supply chain; Pandemic.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Food Safety
Humans
Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype*
Pandemics / prevention & control
SARS-CoV-2