Addressing the concerns regarding salmon that may be infected with the new coronavirus, which recently surfaced in China, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) issued a statement regarding the safety of seafood exported by the US.
“Consumers in China and in other countries should be aware that seafood portioned and prepared in America must comply with the rules and regulations of the United States Food and Drug Administration to ensure safe food. Importantly, the systems that seafood companies in the United States have implemented for more than 20 years now serve as a model for other countries and foods. Companies must also keep their workers safe by following the directives of the United States’ Occupational Safety and Health Administration”, the statement says.
The NFI goes on to say that the World Health Organization, United National Food and Agriculture Organization, and all major national food safety agencies report there is no connection between seafood and COVID-19, concluding that people cannot get COVID-19 from eating seafood.
“Since the onset of COVID-19, members of the National Fisheries Institute, the major seafood trade association in the United States and many of whose members export American seafood to China, have also implemented the laws of numerous states, and the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, industry best practices, CODEX Alimentarius, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Health Organization, and the recommendations of academics and other public health experts”, the statement issued and signed by John Connelly, President of NFI, reads.