Nov 26, 2008 3:39 pm US/Eastern
Grocery Carts Dirtier Than Public Restrooms
(WBZ)
As we get into the cold and flu season, we all tend to be a bit more conscious about the germs that surround us every day.
That's why when Michelle Samuels goes to the grocery store, she tries to pick out the cleanest cart she can find, particularly when she's shopping with her son. "I really think about e-coli; I think about salmonella," she said.
There's good reason for her concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control, riding in a shopping cart near meat or poultry is risky for children.
Food-borne bacteria make millions of people sick every year and many die.
Microbiologist Chuck Gerba recently did a study on shopping carts and he found them to be dirtier than public restrooms. More than 60% of the carts he tested had fecal bacteria on them. "You're probably putting your broccoli right where some kid's bottom was," he said.
A few supermarkets across the country are now installing
sanitizing systems for all of their shopping carts. They look like mini car washes. "Every time a cart is collected, it goes through our system and a fine mist is applied to the cart," explained Jim Kratowicz of
Pure Cart Systems.
He says the mist kills 99.9% of bacteria including salmonella and staph and it is safe for human and food contact.
Michelle's store provides sanitizing wipes. "It makes me feel like at least on the cart, when I'm touching the cart, or my son is holding onto the cart, that it's at least cleaned off some of the germs," she said.
The
Nice-Pak Sani-Cart wipes promise to kill almost 100% of bacteria and are also EPA registered.
Gerba says if your store doesn't provide a way to clean your cart, it's not a bad idea to arm yourself. Alcohol gel hand sanitizer will do the trick in a pinch.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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