Food Delivery Safety: How to Handle Takeout, Groceries and Meal Kits

Written by Staff Writer

A smiling woman holding a smartphone is handed a full brown paper bag by a delivery man.

Dining at a restaurant can be an enjoyable way to get out of the house, but let’s face it — there are days you just want to stay in. Nothing beats cozying up on the couch with takeout and watching your favorite video streaming service.  

Thankfully, ordering food has never been easier. Between restaurant takeout, grocery delivery apps and meal kit subscriptions, you can get almost anything delivered to your door. But food delivery safety doesn't end with the restaurant or store. Once your order leaves their hands, keeping it safe becomes your job too. 

Stay Home If You Are Sick 

First, let’s address a major food safety factor: illness. Symptoms like a sore throat, fever, lingering cough, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea may indicate that you have a contagious illness.  

Delivery drivers should not work while they are sick. Taking a sick day helps protect customers and restaurant employees. Customers should take similar precautions. If you are sick but still craving your favorite meal, you can: 

  • Ask a healthy friend or family member to pick it up. 
  • Request contactless delivery. 
  • Ask the driver to leave the order at your door. 
  • Wait until the driver has stepped away before collecting it. 

For more guidance, read our resource about what to do when you are feeling sick. 

Where Delivery Risks Can Happen 

Meal delivery now includes much more than restaurant takeout. You can order groceries through an app, receive dinner from a third-party delivery service or subscribe to meal kits that travel through the mail. 

Each option adds time and handling between preparation and eating. Along the way, your order may pass through several steps: 

  • A restaurant or store prepares and packages the order. 
  • A third-party driver picks it up. 
  • The order travels in a vehicle. 
  • The order may sit outside your door before you bring it in. 

More steps mean more opportunities for delays, damaged packaging, cross-contamination or unsafe temperatures. 

You cannot control everything that happens along the way. However, you can lower your risk by choosing a dependable service, checking your order and storing perishables promptly. 

Choose a Reliable Delivery Service 

Before you place an order, check user reviews to get an idea of how the restaurant or delivery company handles its product. 

Secure packaging is a good place to start. Many restaurants use tamper-evident stickers, staples or seals. These make it easier to tell whether someone opened your order after it left the restaurant. 

Maintain Safe Temperatures 

Keeping food at the proper temperature is one of the most important aspects of food safety. Bacteria can grow quickly in the temperature danger zone, which, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), ranges from 40°F to 140°F. Keep these basic limits in mind: 

  • Cold products should stay at 40°F or below. 
  • Hot items should remain at 140°F or above. 
  • Perishables should not remain in the danger zone for more than two hours. 
  • When the outdoor temperature is above 90°F, that limit drops to one hour. 

Remember that this time includes transportation, time spent outside your door and time on the kitchen counter. A food thermometer gives you a more accurate answer than touching the container. Items can feel warm or cool to the touch and not be at a safe temperature. 

If you expect a pickup to take a while, use a cooler, insulated bag or thermal blanket on your way home when possible. Promptly refrigerate any leftovers and unused perishable ingredients. If you are meal prepping, divide large portions of hot food into shallow containers so they cool faster. 

Check Meal Kits Right Away 

Meal kits and mail-order products can make dinner preparation more convenient, but the ingredients may spend hours or days in transit. 

Open the box as soon as it arrives. Ice packs may be partly melted, but perishable ingredients should still be cold. Frozen items should remain frozen or contain ice crystals.  

When you do not know how long an item has been outside, check it with a food thermometer. Throw away any perishables that have remained above 40°F for too long. 

If a shipment arrives warm: 

  • Take pictures of the package. 
  • Keep the order information. 
  • Contact the company. 
  • Throw away any perishable item you are unsure about. 

Don’t rely on your senses to determine if an item has gone bad. Harmful bacteria can be present without affecting taste, smell or appearance. 

Keep Your Kitchen Clean After a Delivery Arrives 

Restaurants and grocery stores may follow strict cleaning procedures, but safe handling should continue after the order reaches your home. 

Start with a few simple habits: 

  • Wash your hands before unpacking, preparing or eating food. 
  • Use soap and running water. 
  • Scrub for at least 20 seconds. 
  • Place delivery bags and boxes on a cleanable surface. 
  • Wipe and sanitize the area afterward if packaging looks dirty, wet or damaged. 
  • Transfer prepared meals to clean plates and bowls when possible. 

For meal kits, be sure to keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from ready-to-eat items in order to prevent cross-contamination. Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw proteins and fresh produce, then wash your equipment with hot, soapy water. 

Recognize and Report Foodborne Illness 

Foodborne illness can cause several symptoms, including: 

  • Nausea 
  • Vomiting 
  • Diarrhea 
  • Stomach cramps 
  • Fever 

Some symptoms begin within a few hours. Others may not appear for several days. It isn’t always easy to identify the exact product that caused an illness. Pay attention if several people who ate the same meal develop similar symptoms. 

Contact a healthcare professional when symptoms are severe, continue for an extended period or affect someone at higher risk. This includes young children, older adults, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems. You should also contact your local health department if you suspect that a delivered meal, grocery item or meal kit caused food poisoning. Be ready to share: 

  • The business name 
  • The order date 
  • The product you ate 
  • When symptoms began 
  • Whether anyone else became sick 

Reporting a suspected foodborne illness does more than document your own case. Health departments use these reports to spot patterns, and a handful of similar reports tied to the same restaurant or delivery service can trigger an inspection before more people get sick. Your report might be the one that connects those dots. 

Make Food Safety a Habit 

Takeout, grocery delivery and meal kits can be just as safe as a home-cooked meal. As long as you check your order, watch the clock and keep your kitchen clean along the way. These habits are the same core principles food service workers learn to keep customers safe every shift.  

If you want to build on what you learned here, our food handler card training covers these fundamentals in more depth, whether you're cooking for your own family or looking to get certified for work.