Is Takeaway/Delivery Food Definitely Free of Coronavirus and Safe to Consume without Heating?

We cook a lot these days but just wondering what do people think, for takeaway/delivery food…

What if a virus carrier sneezes/coughs onto the food before it's covered or sealed?

What if the utensils/cutlery/crockery used to prepare the food is infected by a virus carrier sneezing or coughing on them?

What if the delivery person who is a carrier touches the carry bag or coughs/sneezes on it?

What if the food (e.g. bread) is dropped on the floor or surfaces and picked up but now infected?

Edit:

Notes & Disclaimers:

  1. Not trying to destroy small businesses here. On the contrary, if restaurants can figure out how to overcome this somehow and get the message across, they could be rolling in dough with so many people stuck at home. You're welcome.

  2. Heat kills the virus according to most sources (see here)

  3. Here's a cute cartoon video about the virus to help you relax if you're anxious after reading and answering this poll.

Edit 2:

Amazing YouTube video find by SpaceNinja to address groceries and takeaway food safety concerns during this crisis.

Edit 3:

Blog pulling together various sources of info for everything food-related about Covid-19, credit to AEKaBeer.

Poll Options

  • 36
    Always heat food for n minutes before eating and wear gloves for handling bags/containers
  • 40
    Yes it's absolutely safe
  • 143
    No stay away from outside food just to be safe

Comments

  • +1

    We have to eat and yes, we can catch it from food from a store we prep ourselves as well as through take away. However the less hands on the food the better IMO. Personally, I have stopped buying fresh veg and stick mostly to canned food, dry food and shrink wrapped meat. Still, there is always a chance the can or packages are infected on the outside so I am spraying them with Glen 20 in the car then I get home and wash the packages with soap. Call me crazy but prevention like this helps me sleep at night. Hopefully this is all over in 6 months so we can all get back to eating out in peace. For the guy who posted this question "if you have to ask those questions and if you have all those concerns like me which you clearly do, stay away from takeaway or delivery food. For everyone else who wants to eat takeaway, have at it" YouTube can teach you how to cook anything so it's a good time to skill up in that department and gets your mind off all the shit happening's.

  • +1

    I was thinking about this today.. who knows if someone at Maccas, KFC, Hungry Jacks, Nando's, Red Rooster, Pizza Hut etc (can you tell what kind of food I like to buy when I go out?) is asymptomatic, accidentally sneezes not-into-their-elbow whilst prepping some food, some droplets go airborne and land on your burger/fried chicken/portugese chicken with extra hot marinade/chips/onion rings/spicy chicken burger/big mac/cheeseburger/super supreme pizza/pepperoni pizza and then you eat it and contract the virus.

    Going forward I think I'll focus mainly on preparing food at home.

    In saying all that though, I'm not even sure if you can contract coronavirus through food. You can contract it through fomites (i.e. inanimate objects like door handles) and then touching your face, but I haven't read anywhere about contracting it from eating food that has it on it… because it'd go straight to your gut instead of your lungs.

  • +3

    Deliveroo/Uber Eats delivery driver here: the food I deliver to you is sealed in an insulated bag. Inside the insulated bag the food is inside a carry bag supplied by the restaurant. Inside the carry bag, the food is inside their own individual containers. I sanitise my hands after each pick up and delivery. When I arrive at your place I open the bag and let you take out the food from the insulated bag by yourself. At the restaurant I generally let the staff load the insulated bag for me.

    If you get Covid-19 from a delivery, you’d have to have the worst luck in the world.

    • +2

      We trust the Deliveroo/Uber Eats delivery drivers… It's the chefs/food handlers we are worried about.

    • Out of curiosity, is that delivery company policy or your personal hygiene routine? Does the company provide sanitizer?

      • It's more my personal hygiene routine especially when delivering food - I don't want my customers to get sick!

        Neither company is providing sanitiser, although Deliveroo is reimbursing us if we purchase hand sanitiser at a shop (not that you can find any).

        • Do you know other delivery drivers who are doing the same and have such strong awareness and take precautions like you?

          Also are they able to source sanitiser?

          • @donamique: Yes one who I know quite well also does the same thing. I have seen others around the place who also all use sealed insulated bags. I can't comment on their personal hygiene but I would like to think that as they are as diligent as I am.

  • so many boomer questions

    borderline troll

  • This is a great question.

    Someone sneezing or coughing on food (or handling after coughing on gloves) before it is boxed would be the worry. Packaging/Delivery everyone can deal with, they can wash hands, but the food is going into your mouth.

    I think the food preparation process would be a big part of the risk. Pizza seems a lower risk, I think it's just cut after cooking (and then they don't have to do that bit)? Food straight from the pan to the container seems perfect? But pre-cooked burger assembly (McDonalds style) seems not great?

    No idea here, asking the questions.

  • +1

    I'd avoid salads at the moment probably or things with too many raw ingredients

  • +1

    This is a good question so I don't know why some idiots here are dogpiling you.

    Person-to-person is the most likely cause of transmission. So in a way food delivery is safer than going down to your supermarket to purchase ingredients to cook for yourself because there's less people invading your 1.5m zone.

    Just make sure you wash your hands after handling the delivery containers & packaging and use your own cutlery.

  • We've been cooking/preparing meals at home exclusively for the past 3 weeks and it's been quite a chore after previously eating out & getting takeway at least 2-3 times a week.

    We made the decision not to get take-out as there wasn't enough conclusive information as to how the COVID-19 virus is transmitted and it changes so much from day to day. We feel for the small businesses that are impacted however not prepared to risk our health. Simple as that.

    • Ironically you were probably risking your long term health even more prior to corona by getting takeaway 2-3 times a week.

      • +1

        Just so you know, takeaway meals can include healthy meals and doesn't always mean fast food.

        • So what's your usual orders?

  • -1

    Sushi would be an issue potentially..

  • +1

    Mostly cook at home even before the pandemic.

    • home cooked meals are the best, this person knows!

  • +1

    home cooked meals are the best dont you know?

  • +1

    Nowadays I only buy takeaway or delivery where I can “re-heat”.

    I found the following best for reheat:

    1. Fried rice
    2. Noodle soup
    3. Hot meat dishes

    I won’t buy salad because washing don’t really totally get rid of coronavirus unless you heat it up. But it is no longer salad the way it should be.

    For handling, I would transfer the container to a bowl or plate, throw away the container (mostly plastic), then wash my hands for 20 sec before I heat up the food.

    For fried rice or hot meat, I just microwave it to make sure it is steaming hot.

    For noodle soup, I normally boil it again in a pot to make sure it is really hot.

    You can’t be too careful these days.

    I wish you safe and healthy.

    • -1

      it sounds nasty.
      learn to cook and it's more too careful.

  • +1

    lmao people not thinking outside the box during a pandemic. doesn't matter if it's from takeway or you bought it.

    It will have corona.
    It will not have corona.

    End of story.

    • -1

      thinking outside the what box? takeaway container box? :p

    • +1

      Amazing. You're the reason this post was created.

  • If the food is properly cooked and sealed during delivery - no, you are extremely unlikely to get the Coronavirus.

    If you are really (profanity) paranoid, you can always microwave your takeaway box for 2.5+ mins which will heat your food hot enough to denature any of the virus' proteins (eg. like cooking an egg).

  • +1

    Food is fine, covid is denatured at normal cooking temperatures of approx 70c.

    Here's a blog that's pulled together info related to transmission via food. The health orgs like the CDC and WHO state that food is not a vector for covid.

    https://www.paloaltoonline.com/blogs/p/2020/03/21/food-safet…

  • Just my anecdotal experience but it seems the small businesses I go to are taking this much more seriously and putting the measures in better than the mega corps. If I wanted to minimize risk it would be small business that I would trust not the minimum wage workers.

  • +2

    You don't get COVID-19 from eating it:

    https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/safety/Pages/NOVEL…

    But yes, the bag and container could be contaminated. Just like the packaging of the ingredients you'd otherwise buy at Coles/Woolies could be.

  • "What if…….."

    if you want to be absolutely certain, prepare your own food, and nuke them in the microwave for 10+ mins.

    whether it will still be edible afterwards is another matter :)

  • I got Chinese takeaway last night, will let you know how I go.

    • +1

      Like they say, it's all perfectly safe!

      Until it isn't.

  • I ordered a UV-C germicidal lamp specifically to sanitise containers and packaging.

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