Katie Karberg MD, PhD: COVID-19 & Food Safety Under Pressure

Should I keep my groceries in the car for 3 days? Can I boost my immune system through food? How does keeping your groceries on the porch for 2 hours in the sunlight kill COVID-19? These are just a few of the questions I've received related to Coronavirus and food safety. In order to gain a better understanding about food safety and COVID-19, I sat down with Katie Karberg, a physician scientist. Dr. Karberg is a Medical Sciences Lead in Regulatory Scientific Affairs at Bayer Crop Sciences, based in St. Louis, MO. Her background is in medicine (M.D.) and microbiology (Ph.D., with an emphasis in microbial evolutionary genomics, especially understanding how genes in microbes move and evolve to cause disease).  In her current role, she works with teams across the organization to assist with human safety strategy for pipeline projects. She also engages with members of the public, especially those in the medical and scientific communities, on the intersections of agriculture and health.  Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family (husband and 3-year-old daughter) and being in the outdoors, including gardening, hiking, and biking. During this episode, I spoke with Dr. Karberg about how consumers can stay healthy under pressure while grocery shopping, grabbing takeout or preparing food at home during the pandemic.  Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science for sponsoring this conversation. To learn more, visit Bayer Crop Science or follow them on Twitter. Be sure to follow Amber on Twitter.