Covid-19 has made staying at home necessary for many except for essential activities such as medical care, exercising, or shopping for groceries.
Aside from medical care, shopping for groceries is one activity that requires contact with people, thus increasing the risk of being infected with COVID-19. Not only are you in close contact with other people when shopping but items in the store may have been exposed to coughs and sneezes of people handling them.
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Though you should try as much as possible to practice social distancing when shopping for your groceries, preventing infection through contact with grocery products is not so easy.
But there are preventive measures you can take when handling groceries to avoid spreading the virus on surfaces and other people in your house.
Cleaning Your Groceries At Home
The first and most important thing to do once you’ve arrived home from shopping is to wash your hands after unpacking.
Once you’re done with washing your hands, you can take extra protective measures by ensuring that your food items are free of contamination. Wipe or wash cans and boxes of food before them before storing them. You can also throw out disposable packaging.
Next, wash any tables, countertops, or other surfaces that were in contact with your groceries and grocery bag.
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How To Clean Food The Right Way
Whether there is a contamination or not, it is always important to clean food items before you cook or eat them. However, knowing how to clean food properly is also as important.
Try to wipe down all packaging with a disinfectant before storing our groceries. You can also get rid of disposable packaging and transfer your food to a clean bag or container.
Clean food and fruits by scrubbing for at least 20 seconds with clean water. It is important to note that the American Food and Drug Administration does not recommend the use of soap when cleaning produce because of the risk of ingestion. If you decide to use soap and wash for your food items, rinse them thoroughly before storing.
Practicing proper hygiene with your groceries can help reduce your chances of being exposed to the virus.
Featured Image Source: Live Science
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