You may not want to pop that loose grape in your mouth the next time you are at the supermarket. According to a recent research by Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, supermarkets are a veritable cesspool of germs and bacteria.
While it would be logical to assume the majority of the germs and harmful microbes would be festering by the meat aisle, Gerba says that the shopping cart handle is where many of the germs at a supermarket are transferred. “The first thing I do is wipe the handle,” Gerba told the Today Show earlier this week. “Take advantage of the sanitizing wipes at the entrance to the store and do the same, or carry your own wipes.”
Medical ethicist and the director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center Art Caplan was not surprised by this revelation. “The grocery cart itself is touched by every human being, every spitty, drolly kid; for all I know, the dog and the cat ride around in their,” said Caplan on Boston Public Radio Wednesday.
Caplan advised the use of hand sanitizer after touching any of the grocery carts or baskets to prevent shoppers from being affecting by harmful germs. “Bring your Purell because you really have to keep your hands clean, you don’t want to go home with pink eye,” said Caplan.
Another surprising breeding ground for germs are the supermarket conveyor belts, says Gerba. These belts are a sanitary nightmare as microbes from contaminated meat, poultry, and fish products can latch onto your produce as they make their way to be scanned by the cashier.
“Some 17-year-old checkout person is not thinking, ‘Oh I better clean this after every user,’” said Caplan on the potential dangerous conveyor belts.
Caplan says that anyone buying produce from a supermarket should rigorously wash them in hot water before consuming them. “People don’t do it, they grab the grapes and eat them,” he said.
