Your kitchen's looking a little bare and you’re nervous about your upcoming trip to the grocery store. Let me stop you right there. I’ve talked to a few patients already who have unfortunately gone to a greater extent than necessary to keep their groceries outside for days on end and/or sanitized their fresh produce, resulting in some undesirable gastrointestinal side effects. While hand washing and disinfecting household surfaces is extremely important, you don’t need to take such extravagant steps when it comes to restocking your kitchen. Keep in mind that you cannot be infected by simply touching surfaces, rather it’s using the same hand you touched a surface that potentially has the virus on it and then inoculating your mouth, nose or eyes. That's why it's crucial to avoid touching your face and practicing good hygiene, like washing your hands. Also there is no evidence at this time to support transmission of the virus from food! What’s more of a risk is exposure to other people that could be infected while you’re out shopping.
So, next time you need to pick up groceries, if you can, I’d recommend ordering curbside or delivery to reduce exposure. If you cannot order them beforehand and need to go into the grocery store, here are 10 tips to keep in mind:
Make a list before you head out and choose a time when it’s likely not going to be busy. This will minimize the time you spend in the store and cut down on the number of individuals you can be exposed to.
Wear a mask or cloth face covering.
Sanitize the grocery cart or basket you plan to use around the store. Most stores are handing out sanitizer wipes, however you can always take your own.
Maintain social distancing in the store. Keep at least 6 feet of distance from others as you walk and collect your items.
Try to set up a no touch payment option, and pay with Apple pay/Google Pay or Samsung pay. If you don’t have this set up, carry hand sanitizer with you to use after you come into contact with the cashier.
When you get home, wash your hands! Then, designate and use a clean, disinfected space to unload your groceries that you can easily wipe down again after.
Unbag your groceries. Remember, there is no current evidence that shows you can contract COVID 19 from food or food packaging. If you and your family members are good about washing your hands before you eat/prep/cook food, you can proceed now to store them as you normally would.
If you wish to take extra precautions, or have children (and adults) at home that aren’t as mindful about hand washing, you can wipe down only the non-porous, hard containers, such as glass bottles, jars or metal cans. You can use household disinfectant wipes or make your own disinfectant recommended by CDC (4 tsp bleach per quart of water). Wait until they dry and then store as you would after washing your hands.
When it comes to produce, DO NOT use a disinfectant, bleach or soap. This can make you sick with gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea! Wash your hands before handling any fresh fruits or vegetables and simply rinse and scrub the produce under cold water only. This kills off majority of microorganisms.
Wipe down your counters or the area used to unload your groceries. Most importantly, wash your hands after all of this!
Pro tip: Even if you’ve washed and sanitized your items, remember to wash your hands before you start preparing, cooking or eating a meal! It’s estimated that <20% of people properly performed hand hygiene prior to the pandemic! I’m sure this number has gone up significantly since the onset of COVID 19, but it never hurts to remind people again!