Government has published guidance for food business on coronavirus. This guidance covers: 

• What you need to know about coronavirus and food
• Food hugiene guidance
• Managing employee sickness
• Social distancing
• Maintaining social distancing in specific food business settings 

It is very unlikely that you can catch coronavirus from food.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. It is not known to be transmitted by exposure to food or food packaging.

Any food handler who is unwell should not be at work. If they have symptoms, they should follow government advice and stay at home.

Although it is very unlikely that coronavirus is transmitted through food, as a matter of good hygiene practice anyone handling food should wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This should be done as a matter of routine, before and after handling food, and especially after being in a public place, blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing.

Food business operators should continue to follow the Food Standard Agency’s guidance on good hygiene practices in food preparation and their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) processes.

We support measures to allow safe privileged access to supermarkets and food businesses for the elderly and essential workers such as NHS staff.