Grocery Carts Dirtier Than Public Restrooms

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Grocery Carts Dirtier Than Public Restrooms by a Ebben

(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 s 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.

'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.

http://wbztv.com/consumer/grocery.cart.germs.2.874730.html

What's more germy than a public toilet? It's not a subway car

handrail. It's the shopping carts in grocery stores, according to a

study last year that measured saliva, bacteria, and fecal matter on

shopping cart handles. Both store owners and customers have sought

ways to combat the filthy carts, from disinfectant wipes to cart

liners to snap-on handles, with limited success. The latest clean-cart

idea looks like a mini-car wash and sprays the entire cart with a mist

of peroxide solution. PureCart Systems says their machines kill 99

percent of germs on carts.

More than 20 supermarkets across the country have installed PureCart

machines, which cost about $8,000 a year. The machines appear to be

popular with shoppers, especially those with young children. And with

good reason: Among babies, contact with raw meat packaging is the

second leading cause of Salmonella infection. Only reptile exposure is

more dangerous. " [Kids] don't necessarily have the best sanitary

habits, " microbiologist Chuck Gerba said. " And you're putting your

broccoli right where the kid's butt was. "

For more mature shoppers, experts say the best bet is still

handwashing, though recent studies indicate your fellow shoppers

probably aren't taking that advice. So if your local supermarket

doesn't have a PureCart machine yet, check Google Flu Trends before

heading out the door.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2008/11/13/to-fight-filthy-produce-u\

se-a-shopping-cart-misting-machine/