As communities nationwide accept the ongoing reality of social distancing to prevent the spread of covid-19, people still need to shop for groceries, plan meals, and feed their families.
To help Northwest residents make informed choices to protect themselves and others, a team of educators with Washington State University Extension have put together a set of covid-19 related food-focused tip sheets, podcasts and videos. These and many other food-related covid-19 resources are available on the WSU Extension Consumer Food Safety website.
“We noticed a gap between what is currently known about preventing the spread of covid-19, and the food-related consumer behaviors we were observing in the media and in our communities,” said Zena Edwards, food safety and nutrition educator with WSU Clark and Cowlitz County Extension.
Although specific social distancing restrictions and recommendations have shifted over time, what is known about how the virus spreads has remained fairly consistent — person to person contact via respiratory droplets. Edwards and her colleagues stressed the need for continued social distancing, staying home as much as possible, using a cloth face cover when around others, good hand hygiene, and proper cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces.
“This has been a stressful time for many people,” said Susie Craig, WSU Extension Area food safety specialist. “We hope we can help alleviate some of that anxiety by providing resources that help people focus on the most important risk reduction practices for grocery shopping, meal planning, food storage, cleaning and sanitizing.