Touching items in supermarket bakery with your hands

[37anddone]

I think almost every time I have tried to use the 'fresh bakery' in the supermarket (you know, all the breads and whatnot out for you to pick from) - someone has come over and started moving them around with their bare hands.

Not picking one up to take (questionable but tolerable), actually moving items on top out of the way to get the item they want. Customers this is, not the staff.

YABU - why not, you'd do it in the fruit and veg aisle

YANBU - bad manners

Classic Mumsnet comment. Ever worked in the food industry? Most items are touched by many bare hands, yet we all survive. Would you prefer that everyone is gloved? That's often more skanky than bare hands.

I stopped buying open bakery items the day I was in Lidl, and there was a woman with absolutely minging grubby hands, long dirty nails, rummaging through a selection of bread rolls to get the ones she wanted - picking them up and examining them then putting them back in 🤮

I don’t eat the meat joints raw though.

Nor does my supermarket have a free-access raw meat shelf where people can help themselves.

You may not want to think about it in too much detail, but some exposure to some germs is good for your immune system. Remember everyone moaning that they hadn’t stopped having colds for a year or so after lockdown?

I only buy the bakery items first thing in the morning when they are freshly stocked.Agree with the tongs being filthy-my local supermarket either doesn't have any tongs,or the tongs there are covered in food.Also the tongs are too small,impossible to pick up a doughnut or Belgium bun without squashing it 😂 .I usually get a plastic bag from the fruit and veg section and use that to pick the food up.

It’s disgusting I bet if they swabbed these type of bakery items they’d have traces of animal/human faeces 🤢

You are sooooo lucky to be able to use sheep dip. Unfortunately my skin is so incredibly sensitive that it wouldn’t work for me, it took me ages to source the disinfectant in the foot bath, luckily I found a company producing it using only organic ingredients and water harvested from virgin Antarctic ice floes.

I am intrigued by the holy water mentioned by@Applescruffle though, I wonder if my skin would be able to tolerate it.

I don't see why picking up what you are going to buy is questionable, but no you shouldn't touch any others as they can't be washed.

this is why we avoid fresh bakery stuff unless its papackjage

Are people aware that when they handle money, how many hands its been through and you dont need to think about so peoples lack of hygien.

I'm glad that are almost a cashless society other than fish n chips who dont take cards and we often part with 30 quid plus at times

My favourite fish and chip place would laugh if you tried to pay in cash!

DH was a baker when I first met him. He told me the best time kneading the dough was on a Monday morning after a weekend changing the engine oil and servicing his car. As good as a manicure.

They have that in my local Asda Express! We’re clearly very European in North London!

I touch bakery items but only if I’m buying it and wouldn’t dream of touching any others. I hadn’t thought about other people touching them?!

I won't buy those products, the number of time Ive seen someone groping the bread and you know they were just picking their noses 5 minutes before. Also- no sneeze guard. It's like we didn't learn anything from Covid. I am really not dirt phobic (will eat something that has been on the floor in my home, for example) but I want bread to be clean when I buy it.

Does anyone else remember the 'Rinse the Mince' thread?

Or did i dream that? [🤔

Exact reason I won't use or pick and mix seen to many dip there hands in or snotty kids picking the sweets up and as for flies buzzing around ugh

Yes, it’s horrible.
I still remember during lockdown, a revolting man stuck his finger into a nectarine punnet, presumably to see if they were ripe. His finger broke the skin and went into one of the fruits. Filthy slob put that punnet back and took another 🤢
I gave the first to a member of staff, telling him very loudly what the revolting man had done (who heard and ignored). Member of staff didn’t seem the least surprised.
Some people are disgusting.

And no - i won't buy uncovered bready/cakey food.

In the middle of Milton Keynes shopping centre there's a few traders selling the most lovely looking food and breads. But they're so often uncovered or have glass on the customer side.

I just think of all the dust and germ floating about in a giant shopping centre (plus little birds flying about ...) and think ugh.

Well that's part of the reason I do it, as a test. I insist on pure, clean and Holy people only and do not allow weaked skinned pussies into my immaculate palace filled with clouds, rainbows and perfect skin 😇

I love Lidl bakery. I also use the tongs provided, I’ve never gotten sick from eating anything from there.

Gave up chasing a cob loaf around with tongs in lidl and just took one in the end. I dont know why, firstly, their bags are never big enough and , secondly, why they dont just put them in a bag to start with. Although, answering my own question, the loaves are still warm sometimes so would go soggy .

I haven't bought bread like that since I saw a toddler licking a loaf about 10 years ago.

I think that’s fine, @RaininSummer . It was for your use. Do wonder how many others touched it then put it back, though?

My local Asda is a part-mezzanine structure and often has a pigeon or two loose up in the steel rafters that overlook the bakery and fruit sections.

Cheesey splodged tiger loaf, anyone? Or perhaps I can interest you in a moist and ripe cauliflower?

same here. The manager came over at a store I was in and literally gave it to a woman who was coughing badly and using the same hand to feel the rolls. She blatantly denied it but another shopper also confirmed she saw her do it. People are disgusting really.