Your groceries apparently can’t transmit the coronavirus.
There’s no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 can spread through food, or what it’s wrapped in, Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, said Thursday.
“We have no evidence that the virus, the Covid-19 virus, is transmitted by food or by food packaging,” Hahn said during a CNN town hall.
There’s still a risk of catching the bug when restocking your pantry. But you’re more likely to be infected by someone coughing inside the store than by touching your groceries, aid Dr. Leana Wen, the former Baltimore health commissioner.
Experts suggest reducing the frequency of grocery runs, keeping a safe distance, rigorous hand washing and other measures to stay safe.
As for disinfecting your groceries, that may also be overkill, according to the FDA.
The FDA head was addressing the nation’s food supply and worker safety amid the pandemic when he made the statement about food and food packaging.
“I can give great assurance that the American food supply is safe. We also very much care about our food workers, both in the retail and in the manufacturing setting. So it’s really important for folks to follow the CDC guidance in terms of protection,” he said.
His comments came after Tyson Foods on Wednesday suspended operations at an Iowa plant that is critical to the nation’s pork supply, but had been devastated by a growing outbreak.
