Food and COVID-19

Related Pages
This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

CDC has a new webpage, Food and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Coronaviruses, like the one that causes COVID-19, are thought to spread mostly person to person through respiratory droplets when someone coughs, sneezes, or talks. Though there is currently no evidence to suggest that handling or eating food is associated with COVID-19, the webpage provides helpful information on commonly asked questions about handling food packages; tips for safely shopping for groceries and buying meat in bulk; and tips on maintaining good nutrition even if your eating or grocery-shopping habits have changed.

Summer Food Safety Tips

Image of a family cooking on the grill

It’s officially summer, which could mean more time outdoors with family flipping burgers and sharing other foods. As you’re enjoying your favorite summer activities, remember that food poisoning typically increases in summer because foodborne germs thrive in warmer temperatures.

Whether you’re having a barbecue in your backyard with loved ones or spending more time indoors and baking with family, you can find helpful food safety tips for summer favorites on CDC’s website and Foodsafety.gov.

Page last reviewed: June 26, 2020
Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED)