You don't need to sanitize your food to protect against coronavirus, scientists say
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/5046324002
Coronavirus is not foodborne. That means you can't get the coronavirus by ingesting food. You can get it from people, of course, those who sneeze, cough or exhale the coronavirus. Which is why we're told not to touch others, nor stay too close to others, and to wash our hands often.
But still, do you need to worry about how you handle food?
We asked two food scientists at Rutgers University – graduate program director Donald Schaffner and professor emeritus Thomas Montville – on how to best handle food to protect us against the coronavirus.
Question: Experts say the coronavirus is not foodborne. Yet, they strongly suspect animals in China – in a food market, no less – were the likely source of the initial infection. So doesn't that mean that it is foodborne?
Donald Schaffner: It's thought that the virus was transmitted by animals not by eating them but by having close proximity to the animals. Viruses can jump between species and that's what most probably happened. Most probably it was a respiratory transmission.
Question: Do I need to wash fruits and vegetables for a longer time due to the coronavirus? Do I need to “sanitize” them with soap?
Thomas Montville: Wash your fruits and vegetables as usual, or even with a little warm soapy water. We should always wash our fruits and vegetables. That's just good safety practice.
Question: What about meat? While the virus is not foodborne, what if the butcher has coronavirus and touched the meat? Can I now get the virus?
Montville: Cooking would kill the virus.
Schaffner: Scientists will never say anything is at zero risk, but I'm not worried at all about getting the coronavirus from food. Hypothetically, yes, perhaps your piece of meat could have the virus on it. But your stomach acids will kill it. Plus the coronavirus is not equipped to get through your intestine's walls, which is how foodborne diseases make you sick.