How Should We Be Unloading Our Groceries? The Latest Recommendations

This topic seems to be on top of everyone's mind lately, so we dug into the official guidelines from the FDA1 and got our follow-up questions answered from immunologist Heather Moday, M.D. Here are the latest recommendations.

"Limiting time in a store, touching only what you intend to buy, wearing gloves and masks, staying 6 feet away from others, and wiping down carts and baskets with sanitizer wipes is recommended," Moday summarizes. And once you get home, "always dispose of gloves properly4 and wash hands again."

She also advises unpacking groceries outside your door and then discarding your grocery bags. If you're using reusable cloth bags, you'll want to throw them in the washing machine (or your makeshift one) after every trip to the store. When that's all said and done, wipe down the counters where you unpacked your items and wash your hands with soap and water.

Again, food doesn't seem to transmit the virus, so eating fresh produce is A-OK right now assuming you wash your hands before and after handling it, according to the Institute of Food Safety at Cornell. And Moday adds that you should still be washing your fruits and vegetables to get rid of pesticides and other germs. She recommends running them underwater and using a stiff brush on sturdier veggies like potatoes and thick-skinned fruits. "Using soap is not recommended as the residue left behind may make you sick," she says.

Bottom line is, we've all gotta eat. And while it's easy to become paranoid about all the potential ways we might be exposed to the coronavirus, there are actionable steps we can take to limit our risk as much as possible: Follow social distancing guidelines while in the stores, wear masks and gloves, and clean hard surfaces as you're unloading your groceries, and you should be OK. And, of course, keep washing those hands!