Tackling Airborne Virus Threats in the Food Industry: A Proactive Approach

Zimmerman, Tahl; Siddiqui, Shahida Anusha; Bischoff, Werner; Ibrahim, Salam A.

doi:10.3390/ijerph18084335

Open AccessArticle

Tackling Airborne Virus Threats in the Food Industry: A Proactive Approach

¹

Food Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina A& T State University, 1601 East Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA

²

Technical University of Munich Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Essigberg 3, 94315 Straubing, Germany

³

Food Data Group, German Institute of Food Technologies, 49610 D-Quakenbrück, Germany

⁴

Infection Prevention and Health System Epidemiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(8), 4335; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084335

Submission received: 1 April 2021 / Revised: 8 April 2021 / Accepted: 8 April 2021 / Published: 19 April 2021

(This article belongs to the Section Environmental Microbiology)

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Abstract

The current SARS-COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the dangers that airborne virus (AV) pandemics pose to the health of all workers (particularly in the meat processing industry), the economic health of the food industry, and food security. The impact that the current pandemic has had on the food industry points to the need for a proactive rather than reactive approach towards preventing future AV outbreaks. Such a proactive approach should be based on empirical assessments of current AV food safety practices and the development of more robust practices tailored to the culture and needs of the food industry. Moreover, a proactive approach is necessary in order to better prepare the food industry for future AV outbreaks, protect the health of workers, reduce disparities in AV occupational health risks, and enhance the safety of the food supply chain. The aim of this review is to make the case for a new food safety research paradigm that incorporates the intensive study of airborne viruses under conditions that simulate food industry work environments.

Keywords: health; meat processing; airborne virus; COVID-19; food industry

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zimmerman, T.; Siddiqui, S.A.; Bischoff, W.; Ibrahim, S.A. Tackling Airborne Virus Threats in the Food Industry: A Proactive Approach. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4335. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084335

AMA Style

Zimmerman T, Siddiqui SA, Bischoff W, Ibrahim SA. Tackling Airborne Virus Threats in the Food Industry: A Proactive Approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(8):4335. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084335

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zimmerman, Tahl, Shahida Anusha Siddiqui, Werner Bischoff, and Salam A. Ibrahim. 2021. "Tackling Airborne Virus Threats in the Food Industry: A Proactive Approach" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 8: 4335. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084335

APA Style

Zimmerman, T., Siddiqui, S. A., Bischoff, W., & Ibrahim, S. A. (2021). Tackling Airborne Virus Threats in the Food Industry: A Proactive Approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8), 4335. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084335

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Tackling Airborne Virus Threats in the Food Industry: A Proactive Approach

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