Reusable shopping bags might make your spirit feel better because you're being good to the environment, but you could also be making your family sick. Turns out, there's a university study that shows dangerous levels of bacteria can grow in reusable grocery bags.
Why? Because no one thinks to wash them!
Think about it now...you buy meat one day and throw it in your handy "green" bag. You take the groceries home, put them up and then what do you do with the bags? Stick them in the pantry, or maybe back in the car so you don't forget them.
The unwashed bags provide a happy breeding ground for bacteria from the little drips of meat juice, scraps from unwashed veggies, and maybe that one stray grape that fell out of the bag and got squished on the bottom. Yuck! The next time you go to the store, you reuse your (now dirty) green bags. The bacteria can transfer to your fresh food--especially if it's isn't wrapped tight--or to your hands as you use the bag.
Researchers at the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University collected samples from dirty bags and found bacteria (including e. coli) in HALF THE BAGS. It was even worse when bags had meat juice in them and had been stored in a hot car.
Read the study here if you like.
The good news is that bacteria was reduced 99% just by washing the bags. That's a relief! If you're a fan of reusable shopping bags just remember to toss any bag that held produce and meats in the laundry. Bags that held can goods and boxes are pretty safe to reuse without washing, so remember to sort your groceries to avoid a huge pile of laundry after each shopping trip.
Comments
Blech! You mean folks aren't getting their meat and produce put into plastic bags anyway? That's what I do with my groceries -- meat and produce get bagged, then everything goes into the reusables.
Viva paper bags!
Ughh... thanks for the reminder. Gotta wash them this weekend.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I would never have thought about washing the re-usable bag; thank you so much for writing about the study and hygiene hint.
I've used reusable bags for years. You're right, just throw them in the wash. Easy-peasy!
Another tasty recipe, and I truly appreciate you essentially do the menu planning for us!
Jenn: I think people put the meat in whatever the store wraps it in, but sometimes those bags/wrappers leak. I don't think anyone is putting a hunk of beef in their eco-tote!
I'm not surprised that most people don't think about the sanitary implications of reusable bags and the effects on a household. It seems like a bigger problem is bringing a dirty bag back to a grocery store, tossing it on the counter and sharing all that bacteria with everyone else behind me in line. Thanks Denise for writing this up.
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