Most of the time, when we return home from the farmers' market or grocery store, we unpack our reusable bags and forget about them until the next shopping trip. But a recent study has some people suggesting we need to pay more attention to bag cleanliness in order to prevent contamination and bacteria growth. So, we're curious:
The study, entitled "Assessment of the Potential for Cross Contamination of Food Products by Reusable Shopping Bags," was conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University. Through interviews and reusable bag tests, the researchers discovered that few consumers wash their reusable bags and a "potential significant risk of bacterial cross contamination exists from using reusable bags to carry groceries," particularly when raw meat and fruits and vegetables are carried in the same bags. Furthermore, they detected coliform bacteria in more than half of the bags and E. coli in 12 percent of the bags. Keeping the bags in the trunk of a car could increase the bacteria tenfold.
Is this something to worry about? Shots, NPR's health blog, says no and points out some shortcomings or even misleading aspects of the study. In addition to noting that the study was funded by the American Chemistry Council ("which by the way represents some disposable plastic bag makers"), NPR reports that most of the bacteria and even E. coli strains the researchers found are not harmful.
Still, it's probably not a bad idea to wash our shopping totes and produce bags from time to time. (The researchers concluded that hand or machine washing could reduce the numbers of bacteria in reusable bags by more than 99.9 percent.) For bags that can't be laundered, cleaning might be done with a cloth and warm, soapy water and/or white vinegar, followed by a thorough dry in the sun.
Read more:
• Reusable Shopping Bags: Green But Unclean (Discovery News)
• Bacteria May Grow In Reusable Grocery Bags, But Don't Fret (NPR)
(Pictured: Single Large Happy Reusable Vegetable Bag in Blue from Etsy seller wonderthunder)
Related: Oops! 5 Tools To Help You Remember Your Reusable Bags
(Image: wonderthunder)
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i use mine for everything including wet/damp foods like leafy greens, and some go into the fridge with the veggies they contain for a week, so a few bags go into the laundry at a time, while the rest get reused until they seem to need a washing. i'd say every 4th or 5th time they all get washed.
Wow, I never really thought about this. It is kind of gross, I guess.
This is so important. Big supermarket brands (weird plastic material, have that plastic thing on the base) are much harder to wash than Chico bags, which I wash frequently. My Chico bags were originally for clothes shopping only, but after my Whole Foods bags ripped (and they're impossible to clean too) I began using Chico, which are not ideal for groceries.
There's the challenge; do we make these bags last long and make them washable? Or use eco-friendly materials which are hard to wash? I say make them last longer.
It depends which bags.
The totes almost never get cleaned - they don't usually have food come in direct contact with them anyhow. We have reusable produce bags which we handle much like heather does. We use washable reusable containers for other potentially yucky things or take the store container which I promise will have many lives afterwards.
No responsible bagger would put meat in the same bag as produce. Of course there would be cross contamination.
Personally, I'd like to see a side-by-side comparison with store-provided bags before I consider this study to be even a little compelling. I've always been a little grossed out by the bags and containers stores provide; there's no guarantee that they are clean at all. Who knows how many people have sneezed on them, dripped on them etc. Blech. If my bags are germy, at least I know they're MY germs.
I once had the bright idea to throw a canvas tote bag I bought at a farmer's market into the laundry machine. I didn't pay attention to the tag, and it SHRUNK to about 1/3 of its original size!!! Oops... So now I'm a little scared to do it again!
I wash the bags that have carried refrigerated or frozen goods after they're used, and all the bags get a wash once a month on general principle.
I have numerous cotton bags, which I throw in the laundry maybe monthly, mainly because I use them for other things I'd like to keep clean.
But we also have those soft, paper-like folding bags made of a substance unknown - like Tyvek, maybe? - that get given out for free as promotions, and I have no idea whether they are washable. Maybe these are the ones Emmi is talking about. Anyone know whether these can go in the wash?
Tasterspoon - (if you're still keeping up on this old thread).....I doubt they can be cleaned, considering the odd material and how easily they rip.
Cotton is nice - the old cloth bags seem the best choice, I just prefer to use a bit of bleach or an eco friendly alternative to discourage bacteria. The Chico bags wash great, and I air-dry them.
Surrounding all of the buzz on this topic, we wrote an FAQ on how to clean reusable bags. The best methods vary depending on the material the bag is made out of. We’d also love to hear any ideas that we may have missed. You can see the FAQ at: http://www.bulletinbag.com/faqs/washing-reusable-bags.html
There’s not much information out there on how to keep bags clean–just that you SHOULD keep them clean, so hopefully our FAQ can help some of you out there :)
If you are looking for a truly green and sustainable reusable bag, try Project GreenBag. They are made from 100% organic cotton, biodegradable, and made in San Francisco California = green American jobs!
http://www.ProjectGreenBag.com
http://www.facebook.com/ProjectGreenBag
http://twitter.com/projectgreenbag