Cloth shopping bags may be good for the environment, but are they good for your health? I have more than a dozen of these bags, some for groceries, some for shopping and some just to keep my stuff together in the car. I feel good saving trees and not adding plastic bags to the landfill. Yet, these bags could possibly be unsafe for use with food if they are not cared for properly.
Research shows that they need to be cleaned regularly to keep them from becoming breeding grounds for germs. Researchers at the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University in California tested reusable bags from 84 people entering grocery stores. While they did not find any harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella or Listeria, they did find large numbers of bacteria commonly on surfaces and in the environment.
So what does this mean? Reusable grocery bags are safe - but you do need to keep them clean. Interestingly, only 3 percent of 84 people who had their bags tested reported ever cleaning their reusable bags!
Hand or machine wash them in hot, soapy water at least once a week, and always wash after a spill. After washing, machine dry or turn inside out and hang dry. Doing so will reduce the number of bacteria inside and outside the bag by more than 99.9 percent.
The greatest danger is from meat, fish or poultry juices contaminating the bag or other foods with harmful bacteria that can make you sick. Packages of raw foods can have bacteria even on the outside. Always remember to put packages of meat, fish or poultry in a disposable bag to catch leaks. The disposable bag can then be put in your reusable bag. I even put a bag over my hand when I'm handling the packages at the grocery store. Look for hand washing stations in some stores near the meat department.
Another problem noted was that 30 percent of the 84 people used their bags to carry non-food items, such as books and clothes. Only use your reusable grocery bag to hold food. If you need to carry books or gym clothes or other non-food items, use a different bag.
Follow these other tips to keep your bags ready for use:
Put unpackaged produce in disposable bags. Not only can bacteria from the produce contaminate other foods, but the produce can pick up bacteria from the bag itself. If the produce is not cooked, the bacteria will survive.
Never store unwashed reusable bags in a hot car where bacteria can thrive. This is a real concern in hot, humid climates.
Reusable grocery bags are good for the environment, but keep them clean so they will be good for your health too!
Adapted from Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service, Consumer Reports
and Gerba, Charles P., David Williams and Ryan G. Sinclair. June 9 Assessment
of the Potential for Cross Conta-mination of Food Products by Reusable Shopping Bags.
Green Cleaning for a Healthy Home Program on Oct. 28
Would you like to learn how to reduce the number of chemicals you use in your home? Find recipes to make your own "homemade" cleaning products to save money and space. Come join us from 12-1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28 for a lunch-and-learn program at the Hall County Cooperative Extension office, 734 East Crescent Drive, Gainesville.
The cost for the program is $3. This fee includes a booklet of cleaning recipes and the opportunity to make and take with you a bottle of all purpose cleaner. Register no later than Oct. 26 by emailing dwilburn@uga.edu with your name and telephone number or by calling 770-535-8290.
Debbie Wilburn is a county extension agent in family
and consumer science with the Hall County Extension. Contact: 770-535-8290.