News & Events
Be green and be clean with shopping bags
- In the age of "reduce, reuse, and recycle," re-using sturdy shopping bags makes good sense and is a logical solution. If you're going shopping anyway, just bring along your own bag. You'll save the environment (and, in many stores, save a nickel).
Most folks don't give the hygiene of their reusable bags any thought, but according to a new study from researchers at the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University namely
" Assessment of the Potential for Cross Contamination of Food Products by Reusable Shopping Bags," found that nearly 97% of shoppers who use reusable bags do not regularly clean them. Furthermore, most of us freely mix meats, vegetables, and other foods in the same bag, and don't think twice about it.
According to the study, "Reusable bags, if not properly washed between uses, create the potential for cross-contamination of foods. This potential exists when raw meat products and foods traditionally eaten uncooked (fruits and vegetables) are carried in the same bags, either together or between uses. This risk can be increased by the growth of bacteria in the bags."
So, what can we do to be green meanwhile clean?
Fortunately the answer is simple, and the same one that has saved countless lives over the centuries: wash your hands, wash your food, and wash your bags. The researchers found that over 99% of the bacteria were eliminated after either hand washing or a bout washing machine. Be green, but be clean.
