Use Reusable Shopping Bags But Sanitize Weekly

Go green and use reusable shopping bags but sanitize weekly. That’s the advice given by authors of a new study which suggests the coliform bacteria (including E. coli) found in reusable grocery bags could be a serious threat to the public health.

97% of  the people interviewed for the study never washed or bleached their reusable bags according to Charles Gerba, a co-author.

The findings from the study, conducted by environmental-health professors at the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University in California, showed more than half of 84 bags studied harbored coliform and heterotrophic bacteria. E. coli was found in 12 per cent of them.

The final report recommends consumers should be careful to separate raw foods from other food products and should not use reusable bags for purposes other than grocery shopping. Also, consumers should not store meat or produce in their car trunks because the high temperatures promote bacteria growth, which can contaminate reusable bags.

Gerber notes the bacteria levels found in reusable bags were significant enough to cause a wide range of serious health problems.

It’s important and responsible to go green. Use reusable shopping bags but sanitize weekly!