Under nationwide stay-at-home orders, more and more Australians are pulling on their aprons and getting their hands dirty in the kitchen.
But in the fight to protect ourselves from the coronavirus, questions have been raised over the potential dangers of eating fresh, unwrapped fruit and vegetables from the supermarket.
So how do you cook fresh fruit and vegetables safely?
Do you need to wash them more than usual?
And is it possible to contract the virus by eating infected foods?
The good news: There is no evidence that suggests you can become infected by eating the coronavirus, so don’t shy away from eating uncooked food like apples.
COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that is usually transmitted via the nose and eyes.
If it does make it way down to our stomach, the acid is expected to inactivate the virus, says Cathy Moir, a senior food microbiology consultant at the CSIRO.
Should we wash fresh food more than usual?
Pandemic or not, it is always a good idea to wash fresh fruit and vegetables in cold water before cooking with them.
But you don’t need to go overboard due to the virus.
When you wash them, hold them under a running tap and rub them under water.
Do not use wash your food with hand-washing soap or detergent. All it will do is make your food taste soapy.
There is also no need to refrigerate food that you wouldn’t normally.
It won’t affect your chances of contracting the virus.
You should, however, definitely wash your hands thoroughly before preparing a meal, and avoid touching your face as much as possible.
The virus can survive for hours or even several days on surfaces, so you should regularly wipe down your kitchen to remove grime and dirt too.
It’s also worth remembering that fresh produce can be handled by hundreds of people in a supermarket before it ends up in your pantry or fridge.
Just think of the number of times an avocado could’ve been given the squeeze test in one day.
And although many supermarket workers wear gloves and disinfect their hands regularly, other shoppers might not be so careful.
This is why it is so important to wash your hands as soon as you get home from the supermarket.
