It’s good to see a newspaper ‘debunking’ a media health scare for a change, as The Times did on Tuesday with ‘Bugs lurk in your bag for life’. Like many others, I try to do my bit for the environment by reusing shopping bags, so I was equally concerned to see headlines last week proclaiming that reusable bags may harbour ‘killer bugs’.
Several newspapers reported on the study from the University of Arizona, which, having tested the bags of 84 shoppers, found traces of E.coli on half of them. As all E.coli strains originate in the gut of warm-blooded animals, the presence of E. coli can indicate a general lack of hygiene but not necessarily the presence of a deadly pathogen. However, journalists appeared to have jumped to the conclusion that the researchers had found E.coli O157, one of the strains capable of causing serious human illness.
You don’t need scientific research like this to tell you that it isn’t a good idea to leave food in the boot of a car during hot weather, or that these conditions would cause not only the bacteria that maybe on the bags to multiply, but any harmful bugs on the foods being stored in those bags as well. Keeping food cold is a key way to maintain its safety.
It is also worth noting that the work was funded by the American Chemistry Council, the largest chemistry trade body in the US, and that the news of the study was released – possibly entirely co-incidentally – at the same time as the state of California debates whether or not to ban plastic bags.
However shaky the science and reporting, and whatever bug is involved, this study does reinforce some important basic food safety messages – not least the need to take care that your shopping does not leak over your reusable bags!
If you take care of your bags by cleaning them regularly – and, if you are worried about leaks, pack raw meat in a separate bag – there’s no need to stop using your bag for life or doing your bit for the environment. You can find out more about keeping food safe at eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe/
