Amid the coronavirus pandemic, one of the most important questions on everyone's mind is, how you handle the food that you bring from outside amid the COVID-19 lockdown? As it has been mentioned by WHO that coronavirus can live on various surfaces for quite some time and if you touch your face after touching such a surface, you can transmit the virus in your body. COVID-19 Pandemic: Food Safety Tips to Handle Groceries to Prevent Exposure to Coronavirus.

The packaged food and more importantly, the fruits and vegetables that one purchase from outside, it is important to note that they might become carriers of coronavirus. Therefore it is important to follow some preventive measures while bringing them home. Also, what is the right way to clean fruits and veggies that you bring from outside amid coronavirus outbreak? Do you just bring the fruits and veggies at home and wash them with soap and water or detergent? Turns out, it isn't a great idea to be cleaning your fruits and veggies with soapy water or detergent. Here's why!

Why You Should Not Use Soap or Detergent For Washing Fruits and Veggies That You Bring From Outside Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

When you wash your fruits and veggies with soap or detergent, there are chances that traces of the soap or detergent you use stays back on the surface of the food ingredient you are using. That means, there are chances you can ingest those traces and suffer from other health issues posed by them. Washing your fruits and vegetables with soap before eating can cause you to ingest the soap which causes health issues like vomiting or diarrhoea in humans. Apart from that nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and other forms of issues with the gastrointestinal and the gut can be caused by detergent and soap. The health problems may seem like the symptoms of COVID-19 to many and cause them to visit the hospital where they can be more at the risk of contracting COVID-19 or even otherwise.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also pointed out in an online fact sheet that  "Consumers should not wash fruits and vegetables with detergent or soap. These products are not approved or labelled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use on foods. You could ingest residues from soap or detergent absorbed on the produce."

You must follow the FDA's food safety practices to help prevent foodborne illnesses. It says, "Before eating, rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Scrub firm produces with a clean produce brush. For canned goods, remember to clean lids before opening." It also suggests  4 food safety steps, aka "Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2020 11:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).