How to Buy Food Safely During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Note: This article was originally titled Buying Food During the COVID-19 Outbreak (updated 4/15/2020)

During the coronavirus outbreak, many people are staying home and avoiding public places. Because of the necessity of avoiding going out and interacting with other people, buying food during an outbreak can be a previously unexplored and confusing endeavor. Because the recipes we have on this page may require grocery shopping, and everyone needs to eat, we felt that it was necessary to include information on how to safely buy food. We hope you find this article to be useful and chock-full of information!

HERE ARE THE FACTS:

COVID-19 is not transmitted through food or water, which is good news! This means that the risk of transmission from eating restaurant food and groceries is very, very small, almost negligible. The only way you could get sick is if someone directly sneezed or coughed on food, you touched it, and then touched your face. The best prevention is making sure to wash your hands every time before you eat!

This being said, here are the safest ways to purchase food and groceries during the coronavirus outbreak. Bon appétit!

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Delivery

Ask for contactless delivery. This includes having the delivery employee leave the food on the porch, and retrieving it after they’ve left (make sure to maintain social distance, or around 2 meters). 

Use cashless transactions. Online payment through services such as PayPal or directly through a restaurant’s website can help prevent contact with others. If this is not possible, leave a tip outside before the delivery arrives. Keep clean. If the food has hard packaging, take efforts to wash it. Before eating and after handling deliveries, be sure to sanitize or wash your hands and avoid touching your face. It’s not necessary to wipe down counters or packaging, but if it makes you more comfortable, it certainly can’t hurt!

Keep clean. If the food has hard packaging, take efforts to wash it. Before eating and after handling deliveries, be sure to sanitize or wash your hands and avoid touching your face. It’s not necessary to wipe down counters or packaging, but if it makes you more comfortable, it certainly can’t hurt!

Stephen Morse, a Columbia professor of epidemiology recommends delivery over in-person grocery shopping due to the decreased contact.

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Takeout

Know the restaurant. If you’re more familiar with the restaurant and it’s practices, chances are you’re better off ordering from them. Also look up a restaurant’s previous health inspections to make sure that they take health and hygiene seriously. 

Make sure the food is fresh. Food that has been sitting for a long time has a greater chance of being exposed to new pathogens, or give existing pathogens more time to multiply. 

Be container-conscious. Wipe down containers or use gloves when opening them. Use your own silverware instead of disposable forks, knives, and napkins included with the food. If you don’t feel comfortable keeping or reusing the bags, don’t!

Eliminate contact. Ask employees to set food down at a counter, and then pick it up yourself, being sure to maintain social distancing. This, along with regular handwashing, is one of the best methods of prevention.

Restaurants are taking precautions such as preventing sick employees from coming to work, changing gloves frequently, and diligent hand-washing. However, cooking at home is the safest option: you can control every aspect of the food production and cut other people out of the equation. Check back with this page weekly for recipes!

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Shopping

In-person shopping precautions. Grocery stores can pose higher risks, as there may be large congregations of people in close proximity, especially at checkout lines. The virus could be found on shopping carts, which is why it’s important to bring hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, or gloves and wipe down the handle before and after use. If you decide to use hand sanitizer, make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol in order for it to be potent. Studies have shown that the virus can remain on specific surfaces such as plastic and steel for up to 72 hours (you can read more about this here), so to keep safe, be sure to wash your hands after bringing groceries home and opening containers.

Visit during off hours. You can find foot traffic information for grocery stores online. Try to visit during the least busy hours to avoid large groups of people. Monday through Thursday right after a store opens or 45 minutes before it closes is the best time to go grocery shopping.

Use credit cards. This helps eliminate the need to handle cash, therefore decreasing inter-person contact. There’s also no need for someone else to touch or handle your credit card, as opposed to when cashiers accept cash, find change, and then hand the change back to you.

Non-perishable goods. If you’re planning on staying inside for a long period of time, buying canned or other preserved goods may be a good idea. Be sure to avoid puffy cans, as they could have a bacterial infection called botulism. Store cans in cool, dry places!

Grocery delivery services. Many grocery stores can deliver to your door or allow you to pick up your groceries at the store from inside your car (like takeout). Be sure to follow the precautions under the Delivery and Takeout sections. This can be a great way to consistently have fresh produce. Here are some places where you can buy groceries online:

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And that’s it! Pretty simple, right? Implementing these simple prevention measures and staying educated and informed about the coronavirus situation are important, and the mYeBEAT team is happy to keep you up-to-date, entertained, enriched, and safe! Check in on us every week for new content – see you soon!