Follow six feet physical distancing rule while waiting for the cart and shopping.
Some stores may have a separate line of disinfected carts to pull from. If not, use disinfectant wipes or spray to sanitize the cart or basket handle.
Be aware that grocery stores and farmers market have stopped food sampling. Let the farmer hand out the products to you in your shopping bag or crate.
If you are using the self-checkout option, wipe down the barcode scanner, touch screen monitor and keypad using a disinfectant before use.
Always remember to sanitize your hands before touching anything in your car, such as the door handle, seat belt, keys, engine start button, radio button, gear stick, etc.
Thanks to e-commerce, pick-up and delivery options are available at most grocery store locations and restaurants.
This option potentially reduces the risk of exposure and transmission with minimum or no contact between people.
Pre-order and pre-pay online. Food delivered to your car or at your doorstep minimizes the risk of exposure and burden on in-store traffic. Most grocery stores and farmers markets offer this service.
It has been reported that coronavirus can remain viable for up to 24 hours on cardboard boxes. Once the delivery is received, remove the contents from its original packing and wash the fresh produce according to the general food safety guidelines and store in clean containers or reusable refrigerator bags. As an extra precaution, wipe down the packaging for meat, dairy and other supplies with a disinfectant wipe and let it air dry. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for 20 seconds.
- If ordering meals from outside, discard the meal packaging after transferring the contents into bowls or plates. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before eating.
- Shop at local farmers markets that are hosted in open spaces, allowing more physical distancing.
If ordering meals from outside, discard the meal packaging after transferring the contents into bowls or plates. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before eating.
Shop at local farmers markets that are hosted in open spaces, allowing more physical distancing.
If you like shopping in store and want to minimize the time you spend in the store, have a visual plan. Also, download the store app or go to their website. Select the store you are going to be shopping at. Start adding the items you want to purchase in the cart. You will see an aisle number next to the item. Make a note. When you are in the store, navigate yourself directly to the aisle in which your products are available.
SARS-CoV-2 can survive on cardboard surfaces for 24 hours, 72 hours on plastic and stainless-steel surfaces and for 4 hours on copper surfaces under laboratory conditions. However, presently, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and WHO have concluded that there is no evidence of transmission of COVID-19 from food or food packaging. Thus, risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 from food packaging is very low.
Once at home, wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water.
Wash the fresh produce according to the general food safety guidelines and store in clean containers or reusable refrigerator bags. As an extra precaution, wipe down the packaging of your purchased supplies with a disinfectant and let it air dry.
Disinfect all counter and sink surfaces after storing the items. Clean your shopping bag for use on your next grocery trip. For more information, click on the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's guidelines for Cleaning and Disinfecting Households.
Wipe down the doorknobs, garage door openers and light switches with a disinfectant after you have put the groceries away.
Also, wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water after handling and storing the purchased items.