Do you use -or are you considering switching to - cloth grocery bags? Do you avoid using the small plastic bags grocery stores offer for produce and meat? Watch out, or you may end up giving your family food poisoning.
In a recent study 64% of the reusable grocery bags looked at were contaminated with bacteria; nearly 30% had more bacteria than what's considered safe for drinking water. 40% of the bags also had mold or yeast growing in them, and a few even had fecal matter in them.So if you use cloth grocery bags: 1. Keep one bag for meats; let it be a different color, or write "meats" on the handle with permanent ink. Placing meat packages in plastic bags will help prevent meat juices from contaminating your cloth bags, but may not prevent the contamination completely. 2. Keep another bag (clearly discernible) for produce. 3. Wash your grocery bags in hot water after every shopping trip. 4. Keep the bags dry between shopping trips; even small amount of moisture can cause mold to grow. Add a trace amount of food to this moisture and bacteria will thrive.
No comments