Food safety and nutrition during COVID-19
- Princess Lisa Cofie
- Mar 30, 2020
- 3 min read
Happy National Nutrition Month! During these crucial and challenging times, it is important that we safely shop, prepare, and store foods. It is also important to pick healthy, nutrient dense foods that boost the function of the immune system. Here is some information on how to maintain health during social distancing, quarantine, and isolation.
Food Safety The coronavirus strain has been shown to persist on different surfaces for a few hours and even up to several days depending on temperature, humidity, and light. However, current evidence shows that coronavirus appears to be stable at low and freezing temperatures for a certain period of time, and it’s also readily destroyed by normal cooking temperatures (70°C). It is important to practice good food safety measures to prevent its transmission through food.
Some food safety tips include:
1. Before preparing or eating foods, wash your hands with clean warm water and soap for a minimum of 20 seconds.
2. Don’t wash foodstuff, especially fruits and veggies, with bleach, chlorine, disinfecting wipes or isopropyl alcohol. This is harmful and can cause stomach upset. Rather, gently rub produce while holding under plain running water. There’s no need to use soap or a produce wash.
3. Cook animal products to the recommended temperatures:
145°F for whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, and lamb (then allow the meat to rest for 3 minutes before carving or eating)
160°F for ground meats, such as beef and pork
165°F for all poultry, including ground chicken and turkey
165°F for leftovers and casseroles
145°F for fresh ham (raw)
145°F for fin fish or cook until flesh is opaque
4. Handle raw meat and animal products, with care to avoid cross- contamination with cooked/ uncooked foods. You must at all times:
Use one cutting board for fresh produce or other foods that won’t be cooked before they’re eaten, and another for raw meat, poultry, or seafood.
Use separate plates and utensils for cooked and raw foods.
Wash thoroughly all plates, utensils, and cutting boards that touched raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs before using them again. Use hot, soapy water.
5. Avoid sharing food with someone that has already bitten into it or drank. This is to decrease the chance of becoming infected.
Foods to Purchase
Many assume that canned or frozen foods do not have quality nutritional value, however many processed foods can be good sources of key nutrients - with another plus side - they have longer shelf life. Proteins, and vitamin C which is found in frozen fruits and vegetables, are key nutrients retained during processing. Other foods may be fortified with vitamins and minerals, to account for those lost during processing. It is important to purchase healthy, shelf-stable, frozen foods that can be stored for up to 3 months without significant loss to quality.
Some foods to purchase include:
Dried or canned beans, peas and lentils (such as black, garbanzo, kidney, white and pinto beans; green, yellow or split peas and lentils)
Canned vegetables with no added salt (such as tomatoes, green beans, and corn)
Dried or canned fruit in 100% fruit juice with no added sugar.
Whole grains (such as brown rice, quinoa, barley, farro, oats, millet and whole-wheat pasta)
Nuts, seeds, and nut butters
Canned fish or chicken
Frozen fruits and vegetables
Frozen poultry and seafood
Reading Food Labels Almost all packaged foods have a nutrition facts label. This label, mostly found behind the package, shows consumers how to make healthy food choices. Things to do when reading nutrition fact labels include:
1. Checking the serving size: Always make sure your portions on the plate match the serving size listed on the label. This is to make sure that you’re not consuming too many calories, fats, and sugars.
2. Looking at the % Daily Value (% DV): This value shows how much of a specific nutrient, consumers need to eat in a day. Try comparing % Daily Value for similar foods, and choose foods that are low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium, but high in potassium, fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. Also, use the % Daily Value column as much as possible; 5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high.
3. Make your calories count: When you can, always choose healthy foods packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients (mentioned in % DV) but lower in calories.
For more information on nutrition education, resources, and support:
