Reusable Grocery Bags Contaminated With E. Coli, Other Bacteria

[Laidback Al]

Reusable Grocery Bags Contaminated With E. Coli, Other Bacteria

Reusable grocery bags can be a breeding ground for dangerous food-borne bacteria and pose a serious risk to public health, according to a joint food-safety research report issued today by the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University in California.

The research study ? which randomly tested reusable grocery bags carried by shoppers in Tucson, Los Angeles and San Francisco ? also found consumers were almost completely unaware of the need to regularly wash their bags. "Our findings suggest a serious threat to public health, especially from coliform bacteria including E. coli, which were detected in half of the bags sampled," said Charles Gerba, a UA professor of soil, water and environmental science and co-author of the study. "Furthermore, consumers are alarmingly unaware of these risks and the critical need to sanitize their bags on a weekly basis." . . .

http://uanews.org/node/32521

Also see: http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=361003#post361003

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Reusable Grocery Bags Contaminated With E. Coli, Other Bacteria

Assessment of the Potential for Cross Contamination of Food Products by Reusable Shopping Bags


" Transporting gym clothes or other clothing may result in cross contamination of bacteria such as MRSA (methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureus)."