Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and food safety

Learn about food safety during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and how to keep you and your family safe.

On this page

• Food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Safe food practices
• Safe shopping: when you are out and when you get back
• Best-before dates
• Safe home food delivery and online food shopping

Food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic

Scientists and food safety authorities around the world are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19. There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 or its new variants being spread through food or food packaging.

If we become aware of a potential food safety risk, we will take appropriate actions to protect the safety of Canada's food supply.

Safe food practices

You can lower your risk of infection and kill the virus that causes COVID-19 by following safe food handling and cooking practices.

• Use common cleaning and disinfection methods to kill coronaviruses.
• Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food and food packaging. If you do not have running water, use one of the approved hand sanitizers.
• Wash your fruits and vegetables under running water.
  • Washing fresh produce with soap, chlorine or other chemicals is not recommended. Fresh produce is porous and can absorb chemicals that are not intended for you to eat.
• Cook your food to recommended safe internal temperatures. Coronaviruses are killed by normal cooking temperatures.
• Avoid cross-contamination of raw and ready-to-eat or cooked foods.
• Disinfect any surfaces that will come in contact with food.

Safe shopping: when you are out and when you get back

Use these tips to keep you safe while grocery shopping and bringing your groceries home.

• Use hand sanitizers at the entrance of the store, if they are available.
• Bring your own clean reusable grocery bags (if permitted) or consider using bags provided at retail.
• Keep your distance from other people while shopping (at least 2 arms lengths, approximately 2 metres).
• Wear a non-medical mask or face covering while out in public, particularly in crowded settings, when it's not possible to consistently maintain a 2-metre physical distance from others.
• Avoid touching items you are not going to take.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Use hand sanitizers when exiting the store, if they are available.
• Wash your hands when you get back home.
• Put away your groceries, especially items requiring refrigeration.
• Wash your hands after handling food and food packaging.
• Use proper food handling and cooking practices

Best-before dates

Watch out for the best-before dates that appear on foods. Best-before dates are about food quality and not food safety. You can buy and eat food after the best-before date has passed, but you may find that the food starts to lose its texture or flavour.

Foods that are likely to spoil should be stored properly . You should eat these foods as quickly as possible. Best-before dates generally apply to unopened products only. Once opened, the food’s shelf life may change.

For more information, including the difference between best-before and expiry dates, please visit

• Date labelling on pre-packaged foods

Safe home food delivery and online food shopping

Use these tips to keep you safe when having food delivered to your home.

• Use contactless payment whenever possible:
  • key fob
  • pay online
  • tap and go
  • mobile payments
• Ask for contactless delivery if available. Have your food dropped off at the doorstep.
• Keep your distance from the delivery person (at least 2 arms lengths, approximately 2 metres).
• Wash your hands after handling the delivery.
• Put away your groceries, especially items requiring refrigeration.
• Wash your hands after handling food and food packaging.
• Use proper food handling practices.

Related links

• COVID-19 and the food industry
• Healthy eating during the COVID-19 pandemic