RSSWorried About Germs – Better Stay Away From Grocery Carts
While intuitively I knew that grocery carts had to be germ factories, I did not think that they would be worse than a public restroom. But lets think about it. Do you ever wipe down the child seat area before you put the bread and fragile groceries in it? Hmmm. It is part of the cart that is designed for infants and todders in diapers to sit on. And you know how sanitary these kids are.
I am not trying to gross you out, but it is something to think about.
Grocery store shopping cart handles have more germs than public restrooms, making them one of the worst public places for germs, according to researchers.
It’s a problem that at least one state, Arkansas, is trying to address, by passing a law forcing stores to clean up their carts.
How germy could shopping carts really be? Very, according to researchers at the University of Arizona who tested all kinds of public surfaces. They found that shopping carts were loaded with more saliva, bacteria and even fecal matter than escalators, public telephones, and even public bathrooms.
The only surfaces that had more germs were playground equipment and bus rails. via ABC News
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7 Responses to “Worried About Germs – Better Stay Away From Grocery Carts”
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Ewww, now that grosses me out wondering who’s “SHIT” i’ve eaten today
The supermarket grocery stores where I live in southwestern Illinois already have disinfecting wipes dispensers at their shopping cart rack. Not everyone uses them but they are there. There is no law that I know of here in Illinois that forces grocers to provide them, but if any such law is ever considered, I would ask that they also consider a law that forces grocers to provide sanitizing hand wipes in the fresh produce section and that shoppers be forced to use them before handling and comparing the raw veggies and fruit.
My wife is fanatic about rinsing everything in a colander and scrubbing it in baking soda water and then rinsing it again, but when you see shoppers with unsanitary hands handling and comparing that produce at the grocery store, you got to wonder if all that washing can really keep E. Coli, noroviruses, and other dangerous viruses and bacteria out of fresh veggie salads. I am positive that our summertime veggie salads are safe because the only vegetables that go in our salads, including the broccoli and cauliflower, comes from our own little homegrown victory garden. But the rest of the year is a crapshoot buying those raw salad veggies at the supermarket.
Tess
I had the same reaction. Another reason to wash those vegetables… lol…
Tom
Tom:
You crack me up! But looking at the picture of the child on
the left, I can just imagine that, any second now, she’ll be
putting those cute, little fingers… right in her mouth.
I appreciate you posting the article…
Was talking with my wife and she said the shopping cart is nothing. The worst place for nasty stuff is the outside bottom of a womans purse. It gets put on everything, including the lav floor, and then at the end of the day of the kitchen counter.
This study has been ongoing for years. You would not believe what has been found on cart handles. My husband helped develop the “cartWipe”. Many stores in Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico already provide them. You can request that your grocer contact http://www.cartsandparts.com to get them in their store.
SM, I too have heard the bottom of a purse is the worst. Now think about where woman usually put their purses while shopping.