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Yup. Also, would love to hear how I, as a quarantined software developer in an apartment in one of the densest metro areas in the U.S., can "help make and deli

Yup. Also, would love to hear how I, as a quarantined software developer in an apartment in one of the densest metro areas in the U.S., can "help make and deliver food" in a way that doesn't kill even more people in the process.

pmoriarty 7y ago
Not all food has to be made by hand. There's a lot of machinery that can make it, and food could be run through pasteurization and other disinfection processes (such as irradiation) to kill off any pathogens. This machinery has to be operated by somebody, and people can be trained to do it. It takes people willing and able to do it, however. Also, once delivered the food doesn't have to be eaten right away. The virus only lasts a certain number of hours or days (I've heard estimates of up to two weeks). After that, it can be eaten safely even if it was contaminated with the virus when it was made. Of course, that means perishable food that won't last that long is out of the question, but other food that can last should be fine.
- jborichevskiy 7y ago
  > After that, it can be eaten safely even if it was contaminated with the virus when it was made. Of course, that means perishable food that won't last that long is out of the question, but other food that can last should be fine. This makes sense, I don't disagree. But to my limited understanding most large scale food prep & processing happens well outside of city limits. Apart from some bakeries and doughnut shops I imagine most of what I find on the shelves of common grocery stores is largely shipped in via complex distributions chains originating either a) much closer to the farms/source ingredients or b) outside the state/country entirely. > This machinery has to be operated by somebody, and people can be trained to do it. It takes people willing and able to do it, however. So if things start going really bad (ie, large scale interruptions in production AND delivery) then yes, your situation starts to apply where I, a software developer, might have to trek out hundreds of miles somehow and start learning and operating food production equipment. I'm not saying I would refuse to do it -- but things would have to get incredibly bad for that to be a reality. To my knowledge there is nobody seriously predicting collapse on that level.

pmoriarty 7y ago

Not all food has to be made by hand. There's a lot of machinery that can make it, and food could be run through pasteurization and other disinfection processes (such as irradiation) to kill off any pathogens. This machinery has to be operated by somebody, and people can be trained to do it. It takes people willing and able to do it, however. Also, once delivered the food doesn't have to be eaten right away. The virus only lasts a certain number of hours or days (I've heard estimates of up to two weeks). After that, it can be eaten safely even if it was contaminated with the virus when it was made. Of course, that means perishable food that won't last that long is out of the question, but other food that can last should be fine.

jborichevskiy 7y ago
> After that, it can be eaten safely even if it was contaminated with the virus when it was made. Of course, that means perishable food that won't last that long is out of the question, but other food that can last should be fine. This makes sense, I don't disagree. But to my limited understanding most large scale food prep & processing happens well outside of city limits. Apart from some bakeries and doughnut shops I imagine most of what I find on the shelves of common grocery stores is largely shipped in via complex distributions chains originating either a) much closer to the farms/source ingredients or b) outside the state/country entirely. > This machinery has to be operated by somebody, and people can be trained to do it. It takes people willing and able to do it, however. So if things start going really bad (ie, large scale interruptions in production AND delivery) then yes, your situation starts to apply where I, a software developer, might have to trek out hundreds of miles somehow and start learning and operating food production equipment. I'm not saying I would refuse to do it -- but things would have to get incredibly bad for that to be a reality. To my knowledge there is nobody seriously predicting collapse on that level.