Groceries & COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a lot of new rules when it comes to safety (and a lot of questions). By now you should be well versed in practicing social distance and are likely going a bit stir-crazy from staying at home. But, occasionally, you do need to go out - say to the grocery store - which means you run a higher risk of bringing the virus back home with you. And when it comes to the grocery store, a big question on people’s minds is whether or not you should be sanitizing your groceries.

The CDC has said there is a very LOW risk of transmission of COVID-19 via food packaging, BUT studies have shown that the virus can survive for days on surfaces like plastic and metal. So, what should you do? Here a few tips that will help out when it comes to safety.

1. First things first, do NOT wash the actual food itself. Don’t wash produce with soap & water and do NOT spray produce down with anything like Lysol. Your food will not transmit the virus (and even if it did have germs on it, cooking produce will get rid of it).
2. Next, wash your hands as soon as you get home (and it’s recommended that you immediately wash the clothing you wore out as well).
3. Then create two spaces on your counter - a “dirty” side and a “clean” one. Place all your groceries with packaging on the dirty side, wipe out the outside with a disinfectant wipe, then move them over to the clean side.
4. Once you’ve put your groceries away, wipe down all counters they touched.
5. Then wipe down anything you’ve touched since getting back home - doorknobs, cabinet handles, etc.
6. Get rid of grocery bags (or wash reusable bags right away).
7. Finally, wash your hands again!

The most important thing to remember is to be careful but don’t go overboard. Your food itself is fine, there’s just a risk that COVID-19 may be on packaging, and overall come into contact with people who are ill makes you run the biggest risk. Stay healthy & stay safe, everyone!