Photo Courtesy of loonyhiker via flickr.

By Veronica Beltran

wash your veggies

Grocery cleanliness during the pandemic

Mar 30, 2020 | 9:55 AM

PRINCE GEORGE—Grocery shopping through the COVID-19 pandemic has been, different, to say the least but should we be taking extra measures when we bring our grocery haul home?

According to the province, stores across BC have added a minimum of 60% ethyl alcohol dispensers near doors and pay stations and other high touch areas, as well as doing things such as enhancing the premise’s sanitation plan and schedule, ensuring washrooms are stocked with liquid soap and paper towels.

But what happens when we bring our grocery store items home and place them in our fridges, freezers and pantries? Is the COVID-19 virus able to be transmitted through groceries?

According to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) there is no evidence that if the COVID-19 virus is on the surface of food stored in a cupboard, fridge, or freezer that it can multiply further.

As of right now, the BCCDC says that they do not know if the novel coronavirus can survive in refrigerator or freezer temperatures, and there are no special precautions in place needed when storing food.

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However, they do recommend that people wash their hands after storing food away, and before preparing food.

BCCDC recommends you wash your hands:

• Before, during and after preparing foods,
• After handling any raw foods,
• Before eating foods,
• After using the washroom,
• After touching pets,
• After changing diapers
• After wiping runny noses or any hand contact with your face or your child’s face

As for your fruits and veggies, the BCCDC suggests that you wash and scrub them under cold water before consuming them.

Lastly if you are worries about ingesting the virus, the BCCDC says that normal cooking temperatures for foods will kill COVID-19 and other microbes found in food.

Photo Courtesy of loonyhiker via flickr.