Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick-Up/Delivery Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick-Up/Delivery Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Managing Employee Health (Including Contracted Workers)

1. Instruct employees with symptoms associated with COVID-19 to report them to their supervisors. Instruct sick employees to stay home and to follow the CDC’s What to do if you are sick with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Consult with the local health department for additional guidance.
2. If an employee is sick at work, send them home immediately. Clean and disinfect surfaces in their workspace. Others at the facility with close contact (i.e., within 6 feet) of the employee during this time should be considered exposed. 
3. Instruct employees who are well, but know they have been exposed to COVID-19, to notify their supervisor and follow CDC-recommended precautions (see below).
4. Inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace, if an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, while maintaining confidentiality.
5. Implement workplace controls to reduce transmission among employees, such as those described below that are included in CDC’s Interim Guidance for Implementing Safety Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Had Exposure to a Person with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19:

-Employers – Pre-screen (e.g., take temperature and assess symptoms prior to starting work).

-Employers – Disinfect and clean workspaces and equipment and consider more frequent cleaning of high touch surfaces.

-Employees – Regularly self-monitor (e.g., take temperature and assess symptoms of coronavirus).

-Employees – wear a mask or face covering.

-Employees – Practice social distancing and stay at least 6 feet from other people whenever possible.

• Personal Hygiene for Employees

1. Emphasize effective hand hygiene including washing hands for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
2. Always wash hands with soap and water. If soap and water are not readily available, then use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol and avoid working with unwrapped or exposed foods.
3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
4. Use gloves to avoid direct bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods.
5. Before preparing or eating food, always wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds for general food safety.
6. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash hands after.

• Managing Operations in a Foodservice Establishment or Retail Food Store

1. Follow the 4 key steps to food safety: Always — Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
2. Wash, rinse, and sanitize food contact surfaces dishware, utensils, food preparation surfaces, and beverage equipment after use.
3. Frequently disinfect surfaces repeatedly touched by employees or customers such as doorknobs, equipment handles, check-out counters, and grocery cart handles, etc.
4. Frequently clean and disinfect floors, counters, and other facility access areas using EPA-registered disinfectants.
5. Prepare and use sanitizers according to label instructions.

• Managing Food Pick-Up and Delivery

1. Observe established food safety practices for time/temp control, preventing cross contamination, cleaning hands, no sick workers, and storage of food, etc.
2. Have employees wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing, or after touching high touch surfaces, e.g., doorknobs, and doorbells.
3. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.  See, CDC’s How to Protect Yourself & Others.
4. Increase the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces such as counter tops and touch pads and within the vehicle, by wiping down surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
5. Make sure to read the label and follow manufacturer’s instructions on use.
6. Establish designated pick-up zones for customers to help maintain social distancing.
7. Practice social distancing when delivering food, e.g., offering “no touch” deliveries and sending text alerts or calling when deliveries have arrived.
8. Ensure that any wrapping and packaging used for food transport is done so that contamination of the food is prevented.
9. Routinely clean and sanitize coolers and insulated bags used to deliver foods.
10. Conduct an evaluation of your facility to identify and apply operational changes in order to maintain social distancing if offering take-out/carry-out option by maintaining a 6-foot distance from others, when possible.

-Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold by storing in appropriate transport vessels.

-Keep cold foods cold by keeping enough coolant materials, e.g., gel packs.

-Keep hot foods hot by ensuring insulated cases are properly functioning.

-Keep foods separated to avoid cross-contamination, e.g., keeping raw foods separate from cooked and ready-to-eat foods.

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