Food Safety in a Pandemic Shutdown
April 29, 2020
As COVID sets in, the need for safely prepared food keeps increasing. Our home cooks are rising to meet this need, serving their community members delicious homemade meals.
We are worried, but not surprised, by the instability of our current food system.
Many grocery stores are still crowded or understocked, and most brick and mortar restaurants have reduced their hours or closed entirely.
We are reaping the consequences of our narrow food economy; people are stuck at home without work or safe food access.
Restaurant sales have significantly dropped, and many of the 15.6 million Americans working in the impacted food industry face reduced hours or unemployment.
In our unstable food industry, individual workers and small businesses bear the brunt of systemic failure.
In an NPR piece exploring the shutdown’s effect on restaurants, one owner detailed “…watching his dwindling supply of cash. There’s rent to pay and utilities. And he must conserve some money in order to reopen again — whenever that might be.”
Modern brick and mortar businesses were not designed to adapt quickly to today’s conditions. Entrepreneurs are trapped paying for inoperable rented property, with current sales unable to sustain their business bills.
Our society cannot screech to a halt with every new health threat, and there will be more.
It’s high time we transform our food system. Luckily, the home cooking movement has already started.
The shutdown has changed food safety practice. What is “safe” in food right now?
Reducing how many food handlers interact with our food Avoiding public places frequented by crowds Rigorous food handler training
Home restaurants are all permitted and inherently surpass these guidelines. The benefits of ordering home cooking:
- Only one fully certified home cook handling your food
- No interaction with other shoppers or diners
- No contact pick up or delivery features built in to our service
Our current diners agree with the safety of home cooking. With the shut down, home cooking sales on Foodnome are increasing.
People need food and employment. Our Home Restaurant marketplace offers a sustainable, community-run food economy.
We can build a future with stable, safe, and empowering food entrepreneurship.
Let’s continue growing this modern food revolution.
We are pushing this opportunity forward across California. The Home Restaurant Bill is legal statewide, but needs individual county approval. Help us legalize Home Restaurants in your county by making your voice heard by your county supervisor here.
