# Covid-19, Are you washing your GROCERIES?



## HEADPHONES

My parents live in London and are both elderly, with one having diabetes.
They have been staying at home for weeks now.
My brothers have been doing the shopping for them and leaving it on the doorstep.
But at first they would simply take it in and then into the fridge/cupboard etc.

Now got them wiping packaging down with Bleach/Milton at the recommended dilutions and treating the bags as contaminated etc.

Just thought I'd share this especially for those with elderly/frail relatives as this is a weak link in the chain so to speak


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## Soul boy 68

Washing groceries should be part of good hygiene under normal times, let alone now with what’s going on.


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## camerashy

Have always washed loose vegetables and salads which are in packs 
My wife wipes the outer packaging of foodstuffs and puts the weekend newspapers in the garage for 3 days??


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## Fentum

I'd strongly suggest washing everything if there is the slightest risk to inhabitants _or of passing infection to people at risk_.

As a student I worked as a plongeur/kitchen hand in a restaurant run by someone who would make Attila the Hun look like a flabby liberal.

I have been broadly following the rules that were drummed into me then as I'm still recovering from an operation so probably a bit more compromised than most here (and time is hanging rather heavily on my hands).

But as a theme it might provide useful guidance.

Rules number one, two and three, wash your hands thoroughly before handling any food. Rules four and five - make sure that your knives and boards are clean, before use, too.

One of my main tasks was to wash the fruit and veg deliveries thoroughly as soon as they arrived.

We also had to store fish and meat separately and cooked meat away from raw meat. Different colour-coded chopping boards.

Kitchen work surfaces and all used pots pans and cutlery were scrubbed clean after (and, to be clear, between) every use and at least every day, if not used.

Fridges, ovens and hobs emptied and thoroughly cleaned at least once a week. I had to mop the floors after every spillage and thoroughly at the end of every service. We had the steam cleaner out at least once a week and had to roll the stainless steel units out to clean under and behind at that point.

Towels and cloths washed daily. Work clothes at least twice a week.

Bins disinfected twice a week.

All discarded packaging and bottles out of the work area as soon as they were not needed.

I think it was only the cheese that was allowed to be left out and that was under muslin.

It was a balls aching chore but that place never had a case of food poisoning despite selling a lot of seafood and game-based dishes.

Clearly doing all that as a routine in a domestic kitchen week in and week out could be a bit OTT, but doing a deep clean at the moment might be a very good idea and I'd certainly recommend following the food-handling and preparation rules at all times.

Anyway my kitchen in its current state could be used as an operating theatre...:lol:

Peter


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## Caledoniandream

Not a big washer of vegetables and fruits, never have done for 50 odd years.
Polish apples on me trouser leg since I had teeth to eat them
Never wash mushrooms, takes the flavour away, just brush dry the horse manure of them.
Hope nobody washes meat, game or poultry, if you want to infect your kitchen that is the way to do it. 
Won’t washed pre-prepped salad, has already been washed to death.

Remember not all disinfectants kill viruses, many are anti-bacterial, but not anti-viral.
Viruses are build from lipid (fat) and need either a degreaser as normal soap, or a very high dose of alcohol for sustained period of time. 
Hence the advise on 20 second hand wash, exposure time is crucial.
Funny enough, panel wipe, contact cleaner etc are very good at being anti-viral, but very bad for your skin and environment.


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## JoeyJoeJo

Packaging deserves a wipe if it risk, some testing has shown corona virus can live up to 3 days on hard surfaces (like plastic food packaging).

Have a think about how many people may have been in contact with your pack of sausages in the 3 days before they get you.


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## AndyQash

Wiped down all my shopping this morning, used Dettol wipes, not sure if they were up to the job, but I felt a little better for doing it.


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## Darlofan

Can wipe over tins, packets etc. Only wash veg to get soil off, cooking veg will kill anything else. Washing fruit won't do much unless you're using disinfectants!!


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## ollienoclue

I would not be wiping milton or bleach anywhere near food. They smell and can taint if.

Never washed fruit or veg nor is there much point if you are going to cook them anyway. Raw fruit and veg, even mushrooms, I'd take my chances. A portion of it is from out own garden but far from all.

Knives, kitchen scissors and chopping boards all go in the dishwasher after use. Only wood is used to bread or pizzas.


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## Blue Al

Virus has a shelf life, just over buy a small stockpile of provisions to live in garage, another room cupboard etc, virus will be dead before they need it.

Remember that a transmission R of 1 or less is over the period of illness 
Stood in the house cleaning stuff for hours is just as likely to cause an issue, as a visitor you are more likely to contaminate others than the food you have just purchased.


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## Mikesphotaes

Dafter than a daft thing, is the answer to the thread title!


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## LSpec

We wash everything, the plastic bags stay outside the house. If we buy bread, change the bag before enter in the house.

yes always wash our groceries before covid, but now we do it inmediatly and before enter the house.


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## ollienoclue

It is possible you are doing yourself no favours with an ultra-clean household anyway.

There are studies that have investigated the relationship between hygiene and the behaviour of the immune system regarding autoimmune disorders and allergic responses.


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## slobbox

Wash salad that's it. I also work in the private care sector and my wife is an A&E nurse. It doesn't live that long on the products so by the time you come to eat it the viuus is long gone so i'm lead to believe


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## GleemSpray

ollienoclue said:


> It is possible you are doing yourself no favours with an ultra-clean household anyway.
> 
> There are studies that have investigated the relationship between hygiene and the behaviour of the immune system regarding autoimmune disorders and allergic responses.


Yup - a little bit of ingested bacteria and grime does you more good than harm - its been well proven over the years.

Our immune system benefits from light regular exercise.


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## RS3

Lillamy said:


> Yes, i wash. I read that because it attacks the lungs, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 could be an especially serious threat to those who smoke tobacco or marijuana. People with opioid use disorder and methamphetamine use disorder may also be vulnerable due to those drugs' effects on respiratory and pulmonary health. And I have such problems so I am in danger more than anybody. https://addictionresource.com/drugs/krokodil/ - I've been suffering from krokodil addiction for over 2 years.


Isn't it the case that smokers are 4 times less likely to be infected with the virus yet twice as likely to die from it if caught? I think it was reported in the Telegraph.


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## ollienoclue

Someone addicted to krokodil (desomorphine- usually obtained illegally by preparing it from codeine with the judicious use of a bit of back-street chemistry) has far bigger problems to concern themselves with than a bit of covid-19!


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## Rayaan

ollienoclue said:


> It is possible you are doing yourself no favours with an ultra-clean household anyway.
> 
> There are studies that have investigated the relationship between hygiene and the behaviour of the immune system regarding autoimmune disorders and allergic responses.


This is true - loads of research out there which suggests that western countries tend to be excessively clean, hence reducing the exposure to any kind of pathogen which increases the risk of allergies and autoimmune conditions.

Its very well known in terms of atopy, i.e. asthma, hayfever and eczema, conditions which generally don't tend to occur at anywhere near the same level in countries such as India, Thailand, Pakistan etc

I would think statistically, not washing vegetables or fruits is probably low down in terms of causing infection compared to simply setting foot in a supermarket for example. Remember that COVID-19 is mainly droplet and aerosol based with some research suggesting it can linger in the air for prolonged periods of time....


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## atbalfour

In answer to the thread title. Absolutely not...

This will not change until I'm in fear of my life and Covid begins to pose a serious risk to me and my family. At the moment to me anyway, Covid is nothing more than an unfortunate inconvenience though of course have sympathy for those who have lost loved ones and have been impacted personally by it.


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## Brian1612

Should always wash them regardless of Covid.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


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