Well I won't be shopping at Iceland again!

[Crymblecrumble]

Just perusing Facebook and I've seen that people are going mental over a policy on Iceland's website they says if an NHS worker picks up an item they can't put it back because of cross contamination, and that they have to buy it.

So I checked it was on their website however it appears to have been removed now but I found it last night.

www.iceland.co.uk/customer-support/help-articles#coronavirus

So you’d rather have the groceries being contaminated? I don’t think anyone should be manhandling foodstuffs etc then putting it back on the shelf.

Why would you ask a member of staff to clarify about ingredients for allergies? How the fuck would they know? Some people really do spout some shit on here. Not aimed at the op but a pp

I could never but everything I touch when shopping my daughter has multiple food allergies and the 'safe' food i know i can get her is often sold out so when getting food we havent had before i need to read the ingredients off it all!

@Crymblecrumble thank-you for your service.

We can have much more confidence in your hygiene standards than that of the shelf-stackers/food-packers of most supermarkets.

(Not because shelf-stackers/food-packers etc. are especially unhygenic but becuase you are trained in how to protect others from the unseen enemy... ordinary workers like me are still learning.)

@IHaveAMagicBean - if you think carefully you will realise that ALL the food on the supermarket shelves must have been 'manhandled' or it wouldn't be where you can buy it :)

I don’t see the issue

The ossue is that they singled put NHS workers. Which is at best a shockingly ignorant thing to do. I expect they nod approvingly at Joe Public wearing his latex gloves for the 50th time after he has touched a zillion other things.

This looks like it’s specifically under a FAQ bit for NHS workers, so of course they’re going to specifically say NHS workers. Did you check at the time whether the same wording was under the general FAQ as well, perhaps saying “all customers”?

I work in a place that serves food.
We are strictly forbidden to advise or clarify anything to do with allergies or intolerances. We have a folder listing all ingredients we hand to them and they have to read it and make their own decision on what to order.

Supermarket staff can't be expected to know all the ingredients of their thousands of products and it would be very dangerous for people with allergies to have to rely on a shop worker to tell them what they canor can't buy.

No, the wording is clearly aimed at the how the general public will be protected after NHS workers have had their protected hour. The store wil be "thoroughly cleaned" after they visit. Will they do the same for every other person ?

no-one should be touching things they are not buying so it should apply to everyone not just nhs workers

It seems ridiculous. I'm far less likely to have corona than the shop worker who put the items out. Unless I can get a click and collect slot I'll continue to study ingredients when shopping if necessary (coeliac and some other allergies).

I agree with PP. Nobody should be touching things and putting them back.

I'm in Australia and there are signs at the entrance to my local supermarket to ask that all customers should decide if they want something before picking it up. (They express it better than that, sorry, it's late here).

I have to check any new products to me with an app on my phone (I scan the UPC code) to make sure the product is safe for me. So I have to touch and check, I did so in Asda yesterday, never even thought about it. I wash my hands when I get home, I use sanitizer in the car once the food is loaded into the boot and as needed when out an about.
I'm not coming home with a load of food that will make me ill just because I had to touch it to check it.

NHS staff will be the cleanest people around at the moment and actually following guidelines.
I'd rather pick up something they have touched then something the idiots who don't follow rules touch!

I need to check packaging for allergies so it's not as simple as only touching what you pick up.

Meh, storm in a teacup, some one made a mistake which they've now corrected. It won't affect whether I shop in Iceland in the future.

Yeah. But you will shop at Iceland again. We all know it.

We all do what we need to do in the moment. They made an error in a new and ever changing situation. There are no baddies here. No one is doing anything on purpose - we are all just trying to find our way with lots of conflicting messaging.
Get a grip.

Aside from checking ingredients for allergy info it seems sensible, although it should be extended to everyone.

Those of you who say that people must buy anything they touch are incredibly lucky to not be shopping for somebody with an allergy, intolerance or dietary need. It is not possible for some people to shop without reading labels so unless every supermarket can display a label next to the product with all ingredients etc then you can’t stop it.

Given how many MumsNetters are bleaching/disinfecting/leaving their groceries in the garage for a week, one person checking for an allergen shouldn’t be an issue!

Yes NHS staff are more likely to be more conscious of hygiene but also many are more likely to be carriers

Social distancing when shopping mmm I don’t notice it when shopping quite the opposite and have seen people reminding others and have been reminded myself

And shall still be shopping in Iceland I’m not offended by this

I check if products are vegetarian online.

There’s no need to be handling items and putting them back.

I shop for a vegetarian, and a child with two allergies. I didn't buy anything I haven't had before, so I was certain about allergies, and I did buy everything I picked up. I'm not sure about a rule but I think it's good to encourage people to stop randomly pawing things.

Yes, the NHS worker, like everyone hopefully, will have washed their hands. But if they're carrying the virus it doesn't mean they didn't inadvertently touch their face/have a tiny splutter just a minute before picking an item up and putting it back on the shelves, and statistically I would say they are much much more likely to be carrying the virus.

I still don't think it's right they be singled out, but nor do I think this is a time to shop like you normally would, and I say that as someone who usually spends a lot of time checking packages. It's good for people to think about their behaviour and minimise things like that, though I think it would be better if shops focused on ensuring everyone kept to 2 metre distances.

Anyone who picks anything up shouldn't be putting it back. I've ended up with a couple of things because ii forgot and picked up stuff, so brought it

Why?

You do realise that EVERYTHING in the supermarket has been touched by several supermarket staff, possibly many times a day, don't you? And they will have touched many other items beforehand?

Some people need to check ingredients for allergens etc, particularly if usual brands/items aren't available.

Surely you need to feel fruit to determine ripeness. I don't think you can clap for the NHS one day and demand they eat hard pears the next.