CNN – Has wiping down your groceries and take-out food become part of your coronavirus survival kit?
It might be time to reconsider, experts say, especially if that extra effort is adding to your daily stress. Even the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is re-emphasizing there's no real risk of getting the virus that causes Covid-19 that way.
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"We want to assure you there is currently NO evidence of human or animal food or food packaging being associated with transmission of the #COVID19," the agency tweeted recently.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith is one of the scientists who worked on the only study to analyze how long SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, might remain on various surfaces.
Despite the fact his research found the virus might live on cardboard for up to 24 hours and metal and plastic for two to three days, Lloyd-Smith doesn’t bother to wipe down his own groceries or takeout.
"I don't, personally," Lloyd-Wright said. "I treat my hands as potentially contaminated while I'm handling the groceries and unpacking them and I make sure that I wash them fully when I'm done with that process."
Virologist Dr. John Williams, who has studied coronaviruses for decades, is also not overly concerned.
“Personally, we’re alternating cooking food at home and getting takeout food for a houseful of kids home from college right now,” Williams said. “And we’re not wiping down the containers from the restaurant.”
Because the odds of someone coming along and depositing enough virus on a grocery item or takeout container are pretty low, "I view it as sort of a hypothetical risk," Lloyd-Smith said.
"So yes, I'm careful, I'll wash my hands, but I don't sort of regard it as glowing radioactively with virus."
His advice might change, said Lloyd-Smith, if the person was at high risk from the virus, such as elderly or immunocompromised.
“One reasonable and easy-to-implement precaution for groceries that don’t need refrigeration is simply to let them sit for a day or more before unpacking them,” he said. “This will vastly reduce the level of any contamination that is present.”