“With experts saying people should avoid crowded places
because of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, how should you handle grocery
shopping? One option people are turning to is grocery delivery services.
“Grocery- and meal-delivery services are seeing huge
spikes in business. Instacart, the largest grocery-delivery company,
reported record customer demand in the past week. Competitors FreshDirect and
Shipt said they also were seeing big surges in orders, as did Amazon, owner of
grocery delivery services Amazon Fresh and Amazon Prime Now.
“‘For older people and those with underlying health
conditions—the group that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends stay home—I would highly recommend using a grocery delivery
service,’ says Jim Rogers, CR’s director of food safety research and
testing.
“But whether you buy groceries online or in
stores, there are some simple steps you can take to try to limit your
exposure to coronavirus, and they’re not so different from what CR recommends
you typically do. Be sure to:
“Wash nonporous containers. The FDA says there's no
current evidence to support the transmission of the virus from food
packaging. But if you're concerned, it can't hurt to wipe down non-porous
containers like glass or cans with disinfectant wipes.
“If that's not practical, wash your hands well after
putting away all packaging, including paper boxes and bags. ‘It all comes down
to hand hygiene,’ says Liz Garman, a spokesperson for the Association for
Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology in Arlington, Va. It
also doesn't hurt to wash your hands after opening the containers and using
their contents.
“‘But if you use a pasta box a few days after you get it,
there is little likelihood that the virus could still be live on the box and
cause an infection,’ says Eike Steinmann, a virologist at Ruhr-Universitat
Bochum in Germany who has studied how long viruses live on different surfaces.
“One preliminary study found that the coronavirus
responsible for the current pandemic doesn't survive on cardboard longer
than 24 hours. Results of the study, conducted by researchers at the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and other experts, were published
on March 17 in a letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine.
“Wash your hands, counter, and other surfaces you’ve
touched. Do this after you've put away the groceries. Keep in mind that
using a disinfectant isn't necessary unless you’re sharing a space with
someone who is exhibiting signs of respiratory illness or has been exposed to
the virus.
“Wash produce with soap and water. Because COVID-19
is from a family of viruses very likely deactivated by contact with soap and
water, washing your fruit and vegetables with soap and water should eliminate
any live virus, says Rogers. What's more, rubbing fruit and vegetables under
running water—and scrubbing those with hard skins— can help remove
pesticides.
“But Rogers says there's no data to show that COVID-19 is
spread by consuming food. ‘The risk of getting the virus from your food is
considered low,’ he says.
“For hard-skinned produce, scrub skins or peels with a
soft-bristled vegetable brush, using dish or hand soap and warm water. For
other types of produce, including leafy greens, soak in soapy water for 10 to
15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
“Other steps may not make much difference. For instance,
buying frozen vegetables rather than fresh under the assumption that they’re
packed in a more sanitary way is not an approach that has been backed up by
evidence, says Rogers.
If You’re Getting Your Groceries Delivered
“Even if a grocery store or warehouse is thoroughly
cleaned on a regular basis, the delivery person needs to take the same
precautions to prevent the spread of a virus to you. Among the six services in
our review of grocery delivery services, AmazonFresh, Amazon Prime Now,
Instacart, and Shipt employ independent contractors for deliveries.
“Instacart has begun offering up to 14 days of pay to all
shoppers—including independent contractors—sidelined by coronavirus, plus sick
pay to its part-time in-store shoppers. FreshDirect and Peapod delivery
personnel are company employees; and Walmart, which wasn't part of our
ratings, uses DoorDash for deliveries.
“While those companies might recommend that deliverers
wash their hands often, practice other hygiene measures, and stay home when
they’re feeling sick, they can’t monitor whether drivers are actually taking
those precautions, says Erin Hatton, an associate professor of sociology and a
labor scholar at the University of Buffalo. ‘And without paid sick leave,
workers are going to try to push through as much as they can,’ Hatton says.
So follow these steps when ordering deliveries
“Avoid a direct hand-off. Arrange to have the items
delivered to your doorstep or a place nearby instead. Instacart added that
option last week; other companies have a way to indicate special delivery
instructions on their order forms. FreshDirect says its drivers will no longer
bring groceries into a home.
Tip electronically. One benefit of ordering
deliveries online or via an app is that you don’t have to hand the delivery
person money. Opportunities to tip the delivery person are included in most of
the delivery apps and online ordering systems.
“Order earlier than you usually do. Though it's not
a safety issue, you may find that in the midst of higher demand you have to
wait longer. FreshDirect, for instance, mentions on its home page that delivery
times are filling up faster than usual. Amazon Prime Now, which chiefly
delivers from Whole Foods, also mentions that ‘availability may be limited,’
though it’s not clear whether that means delivery times are limited, items are
limited, or both. (An Amazon representative didn't respond to a CR request for
comment.)
If You’re Picking Up Prepacked Groceries
“The steps are basically the same for this option as for
delivery. If you’ve ordered and are merely having someone put the groceries in
your car in a parking lot—an option at about 3,000 Walmart
locations nationwide—consider opening your car door yourself rather than
having the person bringing the items to your car touch the handle. And if you
can tip on a supermarket’s app, do so rather than handing over cash. (Walmart’s
employees aren’t permitted to take tips.)
If You're Buying Groceries in a Store
“A key way to prevent the virus’s spread is to stay 6
feet away from other people. The CDC notes that's generally the distance within
which people pick up coronavirus droplets through the air from a cough or
sneeze. Such ‘social distancing is a good strategy in any situation outside the
home, Rogers says.
Other ideas
“-Go shopping at a time that’s less busy. If you type
in the store’s name and location in Google search, a box often will pop up
showing when foot traffic there is highest. -Take germicide with you. Use
it to wipe your hands and the cart before and after you shop. -Use a credit or
debit card. That way, you don’t have to hand over bills or receive change.
Also, use your own pen to sign receipts. If you can, use a virtual payment
system like Apple Pay so that you don't have to open your wallet at all.”
Editor’s Note: This article, originally
published on March 9, 2020, was updated to clarify our advice on how to handle
produce and food packaging, as well as to include news on Instantcart's
delivery service and how long coronaviruses live on cardboard.
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