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Firstly, this is one of the most poorly written things I've read in a while.
Secondly, sounds like it's being an idiot that breeds bacteria. Who wouldn't think to wash the bags they put their food in?
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...34/detail.html
Reusable Grocery Bags Breed Bacteria
Tests Confirm Risk Of Illness
Theresa Marchetta, Call7 Investigator
POSTED: 1:13 pm MDT September 27, 2010
UPDATED: 8:04 am MDT September 28, 2010
DENVER -- They are good for the environment, but reusable grocery bags are also a breeding ground for bacteria.
Many responsible shoppers carefully choose their groceries and put them into the same cloth or plastic bags over and over again on every trip to the store.
“Did you ever wash your grocery bags?” asked Call7 Investigator Theresa Marchetta.
“Um, no! I never wash my plastic bags or my paper bags," responded a 7NEWS colleague.
Marchetta could not find anyone who regularly cleaned their reusable bags.
“Do you ever think to wash the bags?” Marchetta asked another colleague.
“No. Not really,” the other worker replied, laughing.
The CALL7 Investigators tested several reusable bags used by 7NEWS colleagues and another from a woman going into a Denver grocery store.
Marchetta brought the lab results to Dr. Mic e Barron, the infectious disease expert at the University of Colorado Hospital.
"Wow. Wow. That is pretty impressive," said Barron.
Barron examines lab results for a living.
"Oh my goodness! This is definitely the highest count," Barron commented while looking at the bacteria count numbers.
She admitted she was shocked at what was found at the bottom of the bags.
"We're talking in the million range of bacteria," she said.
Marchetta used swabs provided by a local lab to test several grocery bags for bacteria, mold and yeast.
Three of the samples had relatively low bacteria counts, posing little risk of causing illness.
Two were in the moderate range, posing some risk, according to Barron.
Two other bags had extremely high counts -- 330,000 to nearly 1 million colonies of bacteria.
Four of the samples also had relatively high levels of yeast and mold.
"It would be a level of concern getting on your food, on your hands, too," said Barron. "Digging in there, you touch, rub your eyes ...all that good stuff.”
“Um, yeah, that's gross. Good to know,” said a 7News employee whose bags were tested.
It is not only gross, but also painful if you get sick.
"You can have a terrible diarrhea, stomach ache, vomiting. Not a fun thing to have," said Barron.
To demonstrate the risk, Marchetta dusted grocery bags with a substance that glows in the dark to see how harmful germs can travel.
With the lights off, it was clear the Glo-Germ had not only stuck to our groceries, it was also on Marchetta’s hands, the counter top, and in the cupboard and refrigerator.
“They like porous surfaces and live longer on plastic,” said Barron, about the bacteria.
Fortunately, it is a problem that is easy to fix.
Wash reusable bags or wipe them out with a bleach wipe after each use.
"We're trying to be environmental. I fully support that. But not at the cost of your health," said Barron.
Another suggestion -- designate one bag for each type of food to prevent germs from spreading.
Firstly, this is one of the most poorly written things I've read in a while.
Secondly, sounds like it's being an idiot that breeds bacteria. Who wouldn't think to wash the bags they put their food in?
lol grocery bags
every plastic bag that comes home becomes a garbage bag, we dont reuse it for purchases....
and those new poly green bags shops tryin to get ppl to buy and use, they are just another revenue raising by the shops, what are you going to do when the get rip or arent useable? recycle? those things take longer to break down in the dumps...they did a study of that down here....
I've been hearing plenty about this. But who puts raw, unwrapped foods in those things? All my produce I put in a plastic bag before i place it on their scale; then it gets washed at home. My packaged meat and seafood goes in plastic too; if it drips it's in the plastic. Same with the bakery and deli items. Yes I'm still using plenty of those little produce bags, but at least I've cut down on the larger ones. Personally I'd rather use paper but it's not an option usually.
Just take the same precautions with your food as you always have and there shouldn't be a problem.
I have to agree with cucking funt. I have about 10-12 of these bags and I wash them. The bags are inanimate objects, they don't do anything (i.e. breed bacteria). If there are so many colonies in them, it sounds like an ID-10T error more than anything else.
Also, I am sure that one day my bags will rip, but the oldest is at least 2 years old and it is showing no signs of this. Additionally they are far easier to carry due to their large handles. With these bags, I can grab and entire load of groceries for a family of 4 in one trip. I understand the need for plastic bags for trash bags, but I could never use as many as I got. Now, every once in a while I will buy groceries without the reusable ones and refill my stock of trash bags for a while. Lastly if they decide to get rid of the plastic ones altogether, I can just wash my trash cans every month or so, its not a big deal and will take all of a few mins to do (I have actually already stopped using trash bags most of the time and taken up this method). I see no downside to these
Holy ! Tune in all week for follow up stories in this series:
Wednesday: If you don't wash your hands, they become dirty and can carry bacteria, especially if you wipe you ass, sneeze, or touch grocery bags.
Thursday: our women's focus story of the week - ladies, if you don't wash your vag bacteria can grow and cause infections.
Friday: a shocking expose into hospitals - doctors actually have to wash their hands before every surgery or bacteria can spread to patients during the operation with potentially deadly consequences.
How many of you wash your money? Do you all wear surgical gloves when you all go out in public? Why not just wear a damn body condom?
I remember working at HEB.... every now and then people from Europe would come in and be in awe that they didn't have to bring their own bags from home or even bag their own groceries.
We're spoiled.
I can't even remember the last time somebody asked me paper or plastic, everything is plastic by default now.
You mean-- someone is supposed to bag my groceries for me at HEB?!?!
No .
I wonder how many people realize just how filthy money gets.
Fred Meyer in my area went to paper, unless you ask for plastic.
exactly, which is one reason why people wash their hands. Kinda the same way it would be a good idea to wash the bags.
TBH i never expect nothing but bacterias from the products made in your hometown.
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