Misleading: Washing vegetables with sodium bicarbonate gets rid of the coronavirus.

By: Veena S
May 7 2020

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Washing vegetables under running water is sufficient and the coronavirus does not spread via food, but rather via contact with infected individuals.The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that washing cleaning or washing vegetables under running tap water would be sufficient because there is currently no evidence of human or animal food, or food packaging being associated with the transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. It is spread from person-to-person, unlike foodborne gastrointestinal or GI viruses that often make people ill through contaminated food. The Food Safety Standards Authority of India has also said that there has been no evidence that the coronavirus can be transmitted by food. Its guidelines to food services, delivery services, and takeaways included that all the food items shall be washed thoroughly. Vegetables and fruits (to be consumed raw) shall be washed in 50 ppm chlorine. Its guidelines to consumers included that vegetables and fruits have to be rinsed under running water before cutting them. It also says that cooking thoroughly kills many germs including the coronavirus. An Instagram post by the World Health organisation regarding the pandemic suggested washing vegetables the same way one would in any other circumstance, along with washing hands with soap and water before handling them. Such guidelines have not suggested usage of sodium bicarbonate or any other chemical component to wash vegetables because coronavirus has not been proven to spread via food. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.