Went grocery shopping in Delaware today

[Delarage]

For the first time since early March, I decided to go to the grocery store because, primarily, I was running out of almond milk and veggies. So I donned the mask a friend had made me and headed to the local Shoprite, where a worker had been diagnosed with COVID-19 several weeks ago.

I went at 7:15 am, with an impending rain storm, hoping that there would be light traffic in the store. After being greeted by an employee (wearing a mask) handing out sanitizing wipes for the carts (which I gladly took and used), I found that there were more people than I expected but not too many to avoid, other than a few brief passes. The stored has arrows taped on the floor, converting each aisle to one-way traffic.

About 75% of the shoppers had masks, about 25% had gloves on. Notably, I'd say only half of the staff had masks--even the people working in the deli.

The store was well-stocked, although I forgot to look at the TP aisle because I didn't need any. I didn't see any signs limiting the number of items people could buy.

I didn't hoard, but I'm good for a few weeks at least before i think I'll have to venture out again.

Of course it poured down rain as I was walking out of the store, but I survived.

Forgot to note that I sanitized the crap out of my purchases when I got home---wipes for stuff that could be wiped, washed and rinsed other stuff with soap (my mangos, etc.).

[Arkansas Granny]

1. Washing produce with soap may not be advisable.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-04-08/coronavirus-food-safety-tip-dont-wash-your-produce-with-soap%3f_amp=true

According to the CDC, there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food.i

Given the continued uncertainty and anxiety around coronavirus, the natural response is a desire to protect ourselves in every possible way. For many, that has meant washing produce with dish soap, antibacterial wipes, disinfecting sprays and other household cleaners.

There is only one word I need to address those practices: Don’t.

------
In a story I wrote about how to wash fruits and vegetables, I concluded with a quote from a food scientist who suggested the practice, and I regretfully left the option of doing the same up to you. I apologize for not explicitly stating that you should not, so I removed that quote and report now: Experts say to not use dish soap or other household cleaners to wash your produce.

[Delarage]

2. Eek!

It was really only the mangos, but thanks for the info! I rinsed them thoroughly and dried them off but I won't do it again. I also washed off stuff that was in sealed plastic bags, like my chia seeds and Quinoa that I bought. I may have gone a little overboard.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Don't Be Overly Concerned

The article is in error in many regards.
While it's correct about laundry products (enzymes added to break down lipid & protenaceous soils), and bleach (just unnecessary), it's scare mongering as it relates to household cleaners & dish washing liquids.
These compounds are HIGHLY water soluble, & the very nature of surfactants makes the surface tension so low, that rinsing them leaves residues only detectable using mass spectrometry analysis after detailed(!) extraction methods.
Finally, the ingestion LD50, is around 1500ppm immediate dosing.
If one weighs 70kg (154#), you'd have to ingest 1.05 grams! 1.05 grams of residue is not a realistic number. It's probably less than 1/10,000th of that, if you rinsed just a little.
These are also chloride resistant, so they don't break down fast in the body. They pass through when the levels are super low and you pass them out in urination.
The antibacterial dishwashing liquids do have an LD50 of only 30% of the active cationic surfactant, but it's <1% of the active ingredients, and the total is only 6% of the product. These are also chloride resistant and soluble in water to about 20%.
If it were me, I wouldn't use antimicrobial dishwashing liquid, but normal commercial products are safe in this application.
The food scientist the writer quoted earlier gave better advice than the article linked.

[abqtommy]

3. When I was a wee lad living with my parents in West Pakistan in the early-to-mid 1950s

the accepted rule was to wash all vegetables with lye soap. This was due to the widespread use
of human waste as fertilizer. I never experienced any adverse effects from this process. You, of
course, may do as you wish...

[forgotmylogin]

4. I sometimes spray certain fruit/veg with white vinegar.

Scrub well, and/or rinse with hot water. Any produce with edible skin such as apples.

[woodsprite]

5. Hi, fellow Delawarean!

Sounds like you live pretty close to me! We haven’t ventured to the ShopRite but have been doing Acme or Food Lion in Newark. Actually, I have placed my first Instacart order from BJs. Supposed to arrive on Saturday. Anxious to actually see if I get everything I ordered.

That’s a better ratio of people wearing masks and gloves than what my hubby and I encountered last Saturday I’d say it was 20-25% maybe a bit less.

[Delarage]

8. Hi!

Friends of mine have used Instacart (I think they go to the Giant in Bear). They've been happy with it. My church delivers food baskets for some needy families in Newark and when it was time to do that, I was too afraid to go to the stores for the fresh stuff that I needed (the church has canned goods). So I ordered a "Grocery Pack" from Iron Hill Brewery on the Riverfront---came with an assortment of veggies, potatoes, milk, eggs, butter. They brought it out to the curb. That worked pretty well.

I thought about Instacart, but a friend told me that Shoprite was pretty clear at 7:00 am. She goes to a different one (I live in Wilmington). The one I picked was not clear, but wasn't too bad. I'm not gonna make a habit out of it until things are looking better, but I made it

I was most shocked that the employees were not ALL wearing masks, especially since one of their coworkers was diagnosed a couple weeks ago.

[woodsprite]

10. The way I understood it was that the person worked in the HR office, not on the floor

BUT, how did she get to the HR office upstairs? Did she have to go into the grocery area like in other stores? Don't know. For that reason, my friend was doing ShopRite pickup.

[Cha]

6. Mahalo for your post.. interesting.

It looks like you eat like I do.

StaySafe

[Talitha]

7. I'd rather err on the side of safety.

For over 50 years now, I've been washing store bought fresh fruit and vegetables in Dawn with absolutely no bad side effects. Give them a thorough rinse and they're ok.