Repax reusable bags are washable! Read below why that’s important.

Unlaundered reusable bags teem with bacteria

By Lisa Poisso, 05/25/2009 Comments (3) |

Photo credit: tyger_lyllie, flickr

Care for some nice, fresh bacteria with that organic produce? How about some yeast, mold or (shudder) intestinal fecal bacteria? No, that’s not the latest list of horrors from some uninspected industrial food plant—it’s exactly what you may be serving up if you’re carting home your food in reusable bags. The innocent, eco-friendly reusable bag is in fact a breeding ground for bacteria, according to a new study from the Canadian Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC).

Just how big is the potential for disaster? More than 30 percent of the bags tested showed unsafe levels of bacterial contamination. Forty percent contained yeast or mold, and some bags even had intestinal fecal bacteria embedded in their surface. The health risks of carting your food around in this mess are manifold: food poisoning, skin infections such as bacterial boils, allergic reactions, triggering asthma attacks and ear infections.

Lest you think your bags are undoubtedly more sanitary … Have you ever washed them? The contaminated bags in the study weren’t used carelessly or for especially goopy foods. However, more than 70 percent of the bags tested in the study had never been cleaned. Also, most users had also used their bags to carry non-food items, including sweaty gym clothes.

As you might expect, single-use plastic bags showed no contamination problems and were considered to be sanitary. But you don’t have to cave in and go back to plastic—simply wash your bags. Treat your food bags like you would any other food preparation surface, such as a cutting board or countertop. Wrap meats separately to prevent leaking before putting them into your bags. Don’t carry dirty diapers or gym clothes in bags you also use for food. And wash your bags  regularly with soap and water, drying thoroughly before reuse. You’ll have safe groceries in the bag!

Excerpt taken from Lisa Poisso’s article “Unlaundered reusable bags teem with bacteria” from www.supereco.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 12:18 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.