Chicken meat from closed processing factory in Pedas tested negative for the coronavirus

KUALA LUMPUR, May 14, 2020, NST. There is no evidence that chicken meat at a processing factory in Pedas, Negri Sembilan, is contaminated with the Covid-19 virus. The Veterinary Department said samples of whole chicken were taken from the factory and tested after the Health Ministry on May 8 confirmed that several workers had been infected with Covid-19. The factory was subsequently ordered to temporarily close from May 7 to May 20, New Straits Times reported.

“The samples were taken and the Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method was used to test for Covid-19. The results given to us on May 9 for all the samples, returned negative,” the department said in a statement today.

The factory has obtained the Veterinary Health Mark certification since 2008 and checks on the chicken meat at the factory are always conducted by the department’s meat inspectors to ensure the level of safety and quality.

The department added that scientific studies carried out by several agencies and international institutions such as University of Macau and Paris’ World Organisation for Animal Health, had until now, proven that animals such as cows, goats, pigs and chicken did not transmit the Covid-19 virus to humans.

It also said reports by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nation (FAO) dated April 7 stated that, “It is highly unlikely that people can contract Covid-19 from food or food packaging. There is no evidence to date of viruses that cause respiratory illness being transmitted via food or food packaging. Coronaviruses cannot multiply in food.”

A March 23 article by University of Georgia in United States said, “It’s important to emphasise that Covid-19 is not associated with poultry or poultry products”.

The department said studies published by several international journals showed that the cause of the Covid-19 virus was from the betacoronavirus group while the gammacoronavirus group was found in poultry species such as chicken.

“The betacoronavirus cannot infect the poultry species as it has different receptors. We would like to remind the people that they should not worry about consuming chicken meat,” said the department.