Going to the supermarket or pharmacy are two of the few reasons that take Portuguese people to the streets these days. But, especially in relation to food purchases, there are some rules that must be followed to avoid the risk of contagion. A food security expert listed several of these rules for the El Comidista, the newspaper’s blog El País dedicated to food.
Some are common sense rules in times of a pandemic, and most of them are general care measures that should be applied under any circumstances. How to take only what you need for a certain period of time, otherwise you will be buying food items that will end up in the trash.
The first rule pointed out by the El País it’s common sense: if you have symptoms of illness (Covid-19 or any other) do not go shopping, ask a family member or friend to do so and leave things at the door.
When going to the supermarket, always respect the distance for other people, also when waiting at the door for your turn to enter.
Take your own bags or a shopping cart and avoid using supermarket baskets and carts. If you have to, use a paper with hand sanitizer. This food safety expert advises that gloves be worn to pick up fruits and vegetables and, of course, one should not cough if not for a handkerchief or the inside of the elbow and one should not talk about food.
Carrying a list is important so you don’t fall into the temptation to take things you don’t really need. It also helps to make it faster.
To go shopping less often without ending fresh consumption at home – quarantine is no excuse to eat badly – the ideal is to choose those that last longer: cabbages, carrots, leeks, oranges, apples or pears, in the case of fruit. The most perishable should be consumed first.
An important moment of going shopping is payment, when the same distance rule must be maintained, not only in relation to other customers, but also to employees. Try not to pay with cash, as frequent handling turns coins and banknotes into vehicles carrying microorganisms. It is best to use the card, but the ideal is to use the mobile phone to make the payment.
Back home, the El Comidista says that food should be placed on a clean and disinfected surface. Fruits and vegetables must be washed with water – to which a disinfectant can be added -, the food to be frozen must be put in the freezer quickly. The bag that was used for shopping must be washed at 60 degrees.
In between, you have to keep your hands on your face, trying never to touch your face. When you get home you should wash your hands thoroughly, just as you should before, during and after cooking.
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