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Many people are wondering how best to protect themselves against coronavirus while also supporting local businesses and restaurants. There are also questions surrounding getting food delivered and whether or not it is safe.
With that in mind, we asked a food safety expert just how safe food delivery is.
According to Steven Chevalier, MS, REHS, and food safety consultant with 14 years of experience, there is no reason to believe you can catch coronavirus through your food.
He explains, "COVID-19 is not a foodborne illness. There is no current evidence that coronaviruses, like COVID-19, can be transmitted through (passed through) food and no reported cases of COVID-19 has been linked to the contamination of food."
However, when you are ordering takeout, it's a good idea to turn to restaurants you trust to practice good personal hygiene in their food operation. He continues, "Refraining from touching the eyes, nose, mouth, or face and washing hands regularly will help to reduce the chance that the virus is transmitted."
It's also a good idea to select contactless delivery and throw away the containers the food comes in, transferring it to your own plates as soon as possible. The CDC explains, "It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object, like a packaging container, that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads."
With that in mind, throwing out all packaging and then washing your hands for at least 20 seconds is a smart precaution.
Ordering takeout is a great way to support local restaurants, and taking these precautions is a good way to keep yourself safe at the same time.
