How do I safely process groceries?

Most experts say that sanitizing your groceries is not necessary and are not doing it themselves. The probability of getting infected from a contaminated surface is low because several things must happen: Someone who is infected sneezes and their respiratory droplets land on a packaged grocery—say, cereal box. You then must touch that exact part of the cereal box and then touch your mouth or nose shortly after. If there are infectious particles on the cereal box, they will likely not survive until the next morning when you eat breakfast.

The best practice is to wash your hands after unpacking your groceries, before cooking, and before eating. Give the cashier space and choose no-touch payment if you can.

If you are still worried about your groceries, just leave it in the garage for 24 hours. If you are not convinced and still want to wipe down your groceries, experts suggest that soap and water are the best way to go: food packaging is typically not made to be sprayed with disinfectant and you could actually end up contaminating your food with harsh chemicals