EMERGENCY ACTION MESSAGE: SARS-COV-2 Heat Resistance & Meat Products

Summary:

1) Ground meat products MAY currently present an usually high risk of transmitting coronavirus as normal cooking temperatures may not inactivate the  SARS-COV-2 "COVID19" coronavirus. 

2) The infection risk may spread to all forms of meat products if farm animals become infected.

3) A knee jerk public reaction could decimate meat production resulting in Mass Starvation.

Analysis:

1) A research study out of France indicates the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus shows a high heat resistance when contained in fluids (Source link below)

2) COVID19 has become endemic among workers in multiple major meat processing facilities

3) Meat processing workers likely are causing surface contamination of meat products they are handling.

4) Ground Beef / Pork / Chicken by nature of its processing mixes any surface contamination into the body of the ground product.

5) Internally contaminated meat products provide a similar environment to those tested by the French researchers

6) Ground meat product are notoriously known for spreading disease as it is difficult to raise internal temperatures to sanitary levels and maintain edibility.

7) The French study found that heating contaminated samples to 198F for 15 minutes was enough to inactivate the virus.

8) The risk may spread beyond just Ground meat products if farm animals themselves become infected with SARS-COV-2

9) MANY farm animals are susceptible to generic coronavirus

10) Generic coronaviruses in the Animal Kingdom spread via the Fecal Oral Route

11) Searing / Charing the surfaces of steaks / cutlets/ roasts may risk mitigate human contamination of meat products

12) UVC irradiation (high energy ultraviolet light) provides the safest surface decontamination of whole meat products

13) IF farm animals become infected it may not be possible make meat products "safe" to eat without nuclear irradiation.

14) Governmental authorities will  EXTREEMLY down play the risks to the meat supply because of the economic disruption and potential STARVATION that could result from a knee jerk public reaction and potential destruction of livestock farming capability.

Source Links:

Coronavirus can survive prolonged exposure to high temperatures - study

Evaluation of heating and chemical protocols for inactivating SARS-CoV-2 (pdf)