Food safety and fake news

The spread of Covid-19 has disrupted supply chains and international trade across the region. The implications for food supplies have been considerable, with public concern growing about the safety of what we eat and drink.

Given how nervous the pandemic has made people worldwide, and the proliferation of inaccurate information about how the coronavirus spreads, it doesn’t take much these days to set off a safety scare. A good recent example was found in China, where traces of the coronavirus have been found on packaging of some imported frozen seafood.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it’s highly unlikely for people to contract Covid-19 from food or food packaging. But China nonetheless suspended many fish and meat imports, disrupting trade with several countries and causing shipping bottlenecks.

Several health…