With COVID, it may be riskier time when we go shopping!
It's a time when you are in contact with other people and you can catch the coronavirus...
And yet we have to go shopping to feed the whole family!
Fortunately, we have gone through all the measures to take to shop without risking being contaminated by the coronavirus.
Here are 15 essential tips to avoid bringing the virus home while shopping . Watch:
During confinement, there is no question of going out to buy just 1 packet of sugar or 1 single wafer of butter!
The objective is to limit outings as much as possible and contact with other people.
So, start by taking inventory of the cupboards and the fridge so you don't forget anything!
Look at what you have left, what you lack and what will soon expire. Now is not the time to waste!
Once you have listed all your products, you can start planning your menus.
From the foods you have, you must imagine menus for the whole family.
It's the best way to save money and avoid waste.
In this period of confinement, think about breakfast, lunch, dinner, not to mention snacks.
Plan your menus over 1 week :imagine recipes that are easy to make, inexpensive and of course, that everyone loves.
To help you, we have listed here 30 easy, quick and inexpensive recipes to make.
From the food products you have and the menus you have prepared, you can now make your shopping list.
By the way, if you're looking for an easy-to-print shopping list, I recommend this one.
Also, don't forget household products or hygiene products.
That way, you won't miss anything and you won't have to go back every day!
And you won't spend too much money on impulse purchases.
And yes, even if it may seem tempting, because it's probably the only outing of the day...
...there is no point in exposing several members of your family to the risk of contamination!
In the context of confinement, shopping is no longer a distraction or a family outing.
So if you're wondering if we can go shopping for 2, it's better not.
It is much safer for only one person in the family to go shopping.
Thus, you drastically reduce the risk of catching the virus at the supermarket.
Plus, you'll also save money, because your kids won't be around begging for stuff to buy at every aisle!
To avoid having to touch shopping carts or baskets in the supermarket, take your shopping bags, or even your shopping trolley.
This saves you from touching objects that everyone has handled.
In fact, some stores have removed their baskets and trolleys.
If you forgot your bags, remember not to touch your face with your hands while shopping.
Obviously, it is necessary at all costs to avoid being contaminated.
But it is also absolutely necessary not to spread the virus.
And the best way to do this is to wash your hands with your hydroalcoholic gel before you start shopping.
To discover: How To Wash Your Hands Properly To Avoid CORONAVIRUS.
All specialists agree on one point:it is useless to wear gloves when shopping.
“Gloves are a false measure, because you end up putting your gloved hands on your phone and forgetting the basic rules.
In addition, there is a risk of contamination when removing the gloves" , explains Dr. Benjamin Davido, infectious disease specialist at the Raymond-Poincaré hospital in Garches (92), in Que Choisir.
"Better to wash your hands well when leaving home and returning from shopping ", he explains.
You must wear a mask when you enter a store. It is mandatory.
But wearing a mask does not exempt you from always respecting barrier gestures, in particular the distances between two people.
And avoid touching your face while you shop.
Do you know how many times we touch our face a day? Almost 250 times!
So while you're shopping, be extra careful. Resist the temptation:don't touch your face, even with the mask on!
Once you are in the supermarket, the most important rule is to respect the safety distances.
It is at least one meter between you and other customers or store employees.
To avoid any spittle, it is even preferable when possible to leave 2 meters away.
This prevents you from being coughed or sneezed on!
In any case, touch as few products as possible and don't hang around on the shelves!
The longer you stay on the shelves, the more likely you are to come across people who can potentially infect you...
For now, no risk of contamination by food has been identified.
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), quoted in Que Choisir:"the experience we have of previous epidemics due to related coronaviruses shows that transmission via food consumption did not occur. At this time, there is no indication that this coronavirus is any different in this regard."
Same story on the side of the German authorities. Indeed, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) considers "unlikely" transmission of this virus through contaminated food.
There is no risk of contamination either by products imported from contaminated areas (Italy, China, etc.).
And meat is not a vector of contamination, according to the National Agency for Health and Food Safety (Anses).
Did you checkout? That's it, have you finished your shopping? So wash your hands again.
To discover: What to do against the Coronavirus? 5 Effective Steps To Avoid Catching It.
When you get home, leave all your bags in the entrance of your house or put them in a designated area.
"If you arrive from outside with contaminated hands and clothes, you risk spreading the virus in the house ", underlines Dr. Marc-André Langlois, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.
It is therefore best to put all your shopping in a corner of your house .
Also leave jackets, shoes, keys... in short, all the accessories that could have been contaminated during your shopping.
If your clothes have been in contact with potentially contaminated surfaces (like the crate carpet for example), take them off and put them directly in the washing machine.
No need to buy expensive special detergent to kill coronavirus!
A wash at 40° or 60° and your good old homemade detergent do the trick perfectly to eliminate the virus.
Putting your slightly dampened clothes in the dryer is also a quick way to eliminate the virus.
Now wash your hands again and put on clean clothes.
Now all you have to do is put away all your groceries without taking any risks.
First, rest assured. Even if in theory, food could have been contaminated by people who handled it, the risk is therefore low .
A study, published in March in the New England Journal of Medicine , looked at the survival of the coronavirus on certain surfaces. Here are the results:
- cans, door handles (stainless steel, steel):very low presence of the virus (probably not contaminating) after 24 hours, disappearance in 48 hours.
- cardboard packaging, cardboard:very low presence after 8 hours, disappearance in 24 hours.
- plastic packaging:very low presence after 48 hours, disappearance in 72 hours.
This is rather good news ! Because that means that all you have to do is leave your food products in a corner of your home, so that they decontaminate themselves.
Even better, for Doctor Alexandre Bleibtreu, infectious disease specialist at the Pitié Salpétrière Hospital in Paris, a delay of 4 hours is even sufficient.
But if you're in a hurry, can't wait, or your produce needs to be chilled quickly, throw away the produce wrappers immediately when you get home.
Then disinfect the products. For this, you can use white vinegar or disinfectant wipes. Then store your products as usual.
Wash your fruits and vegetables and put them in the fridge. And with this trick, keep them 2 times longer. Know that the fridge does not kill the coronavirus.
But don't forget that after 4 hours, even if there is still a small presence of the virus in the races, there is very little risk of falling ill.
Rather reassuring, isn't it?
You're almost done!
Now wash your hands again.
Then disinfect the surfaces in contact with the packaging, the door handles of the house, the handles of the cupboards, the door of the fridge or the freezer.
In short, everything you could touch during the handling of the races that you brought back from the supermarket.
As a reminder, white vinegar does not kill the virus, but it makes it inactive and allows it to be eliminated (as with soap). Bleach and alcohol-based products kill the virus. But NEVER bleach food.
To prepare your food, take the same precautions as usual.
Wash your hands. Then wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly and peel them.
If this is not possible (for endives, cabbage, salads...), remove the outer layers of leaves.
Be aware that the risk of contamination decreases drastically when food is cooked.
ANSES estimates that the reduction in risk is 10,000 with cooking at 63° for 4 minutes.
However, be aware that freezing has no effect on the virus. So there's no point in freezing your food to get rid of it!
Finally, don't worry:coronaviruses are not resistant to soap, washing-up liquid, white vinegar or products containing alcohol.
These substances attack the surface of the virus and render it inactive.
So your dishes are not at risk of being contaminated."This is especially true if the dishes are cleaned and dried in a dishwasher at 60°C or more", ensures the BfR.
If you are an elderly person or a fragile person, the best is to shop remotely and have it delivered.
You can use supermarket drives or ask your neighbors to buy groceries for you.
Also note that some brands offer free delivery.
In any case, the goal is to meet as few people as possible.
Have you used these tips to shop without the risk of being contaminated by Covid-19? Let us know in the comments if you use other precautions. We can't wait to read you!
