SINGAPORE: Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods Singapore said on Tuesday (Jun 1) it has resumed imports from its Saraburi factory in Thailand, where there has been an outbreak of COVID-19 among hundreds of workers.

CP Foods said this in a revised statement to CNA, one day after it announcing that it had halted imports from the affected factory.

"CP Foods Singapore continues to import chicken meat from all Charoen Pokphand Foods factories in Thailand, including Saraburi’s plant, as all products have been cleared by Singapore Food Agency to be safe for consumption," it said in the revised statement on Tuesday.

It also said that deep cleaning has been carried out at the Saraburi plant, and entire areas have been sprayed with disinfectant to "ensure zero contamination in the plant's work environment". This was done in line with Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health measures, it said. 

"A lab test will be required to confirm that the areas are disease-free," said the company, adding that it has "exercised regular testing" for COVID-19 on chicken products, with no contamination reported.

CP Foods Singapore reiterated that its food products are safe, and that it has "relocated chicken production to other safe plants" to prevent disruption to the business and customers.

READ: Thailand's CP Foods closes poultry factory after COVID-19 found among workers

On Sunday, it was announced that the poultry processing plant in Saraburi would be closed for five days after 245 workers tested positive for COVID-19.

The Saraburi factory is one of the 19 poultry processing factories that CP Foods Singapore imports its stocks from.

In response to CNA's queries, the SFA said on Tuesday that Singapore imports processed chicken products from the affected establishment in Thailand's Saraburi province.

These imports accounted for less than 1 per cent of Singapore's total chicken imports last year, it added.

"Current state of knowledge across scientific communities and public health authorities worldwide is that the COVID-19 virus is not transmitted to humans via food.  COVID-19 is a respiratory illness and is transmitted human-to-human via respiratory droplets and contact," said SFA.

"Contact with food or food packaging is no different from contact with other non-food packaging and the environment," it added.

"An infected person can contaminate the food or food packaging but the risk of infections of COVID-19 due to contact with contaminated surfaces of food and food packaging is very low and can be further reduced through good public and personal hygiene practices."

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