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Original poster

Contaminated chicken packaging

31 replies

Bookaboo · 27/02/2017 07:59

So we've had a few threads in the past regarding how chicken should be handled in view of increasing evidence that much of the meat we buy harbours potentially antibiotic resistant bacteria.
This story is about how tests have shown that the outside of the packets are also contaminated with whatever bacteria might be on the meat.
For a while I've been getting a small plastic bag from the fruit & veg aisle to use to pick up whatever pack of raw meat I'm buying (then keep it in that bag).
I thought I'd share this with you in case you want to start doing the same 😊

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/26/supermarket-shoppers-urged-wash-hands-eating-9-million-bug/

OP posts:
Original poster
Bookaboo · 27/02/2017 08:00

And the link again:
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/26/supermarket-shoppers-urged-wash-hands-eating-9-million-bug/

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 27/02/2017 08:00

Or you could just wash your hands.

BeyondThePage · 27/02/2017 08:01

And 20000000 other people will not have, so when you put your package in the trolley or on the till belt, it will become contaminated anyhow.

RedBugMug · 27/02/2017 08:02

I use a separate (canvas) bag for meat. I put it in the wash every now and then.
handwashing will not do if the meat packaging is in contact with food we don't cook.

Original poster
Bookaboo · 27/02/2017 08:29

soupdragon the problem is that I'm not going to be able to wash my hands for a while after being at the shop, and hand washing doesn't stop the package from potentially contaminating everything else it comes into contact with - the trolley, other food items, the inside of my bag etc....

And 20000000 other people will not have
That's why I'm sharing this with fellow mumsnetters beyond, to spread the word 🙂

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 27/02/2017 11:26

Sorry, I think you're being ridiculous. You wash your hands, store the meat items in a separate bag just for those products and job done. Anything else is OTT IMO.

BeyondThePage · 27/02/2017 12:30

I agree SoupDragon - we keep raw meat separate -

they do say that the increased incidence of tummy upsets is to do with the carrier bag tax - lots of those bags-for-life kept in sweaty car boots in the summer, festering and multiplying a bacteria soup... mmmm yum...

Original poster
Bookaboo · 27/02/2017 16:52

Why is it ridiculous? Confused is the fact that even the FSA has highlighted it as an issue ridiculous?
It's a simple and easy step that could protect yourself and others, why not do it?

The increasing prevalence of superbugs makes it even more important that we take whatever steps we can to minimise our exposure.

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 27/02/2017 17:16

An FSA spokesman said: "We have never said that the only risk is from packs with >1000cfu/swab [the highest level of bacteria]. We have said that these present the greatest risk from the packaging, although we maintain that the overall risk is extremely low."

SoupDragon · 27/02/2017 17:20

Chances of becoming ill : very low
Chances of unnecessary plastic bag ended up in landfill : almost 100%

Don't lick your fingers in the supermarket and wash your hands. This is what they recommend.

PollyPerky · 27/02/2017 17:34

This does not surprise me. I know someone who visited supermarkets now and then with their work; they told me that there are often burst bags and packaging behind the scenes, so the packets of chicken etc on display may have been contaminated on the outside before they were put on the shelves.

The most important thing is never to put the chicken (in its plastic carton or wrapping) straight onto a shelf in your fridge. Put it on a plate.

In some supermarkets with loos it's possible to wash your hands after finishing your shopping OP.
Or one option I use is to keep a packet of hand wipes in the car which I use after loading the bags into my car.

I often use a fruit or veg bag for putting chickens in. I use my own carrier bags so the food is not going straight into the trolley.

PollyPerky · 27/02/2017 17:37

Soup that's being naive if I can say so.

My hands feel filthy when I've done a shop; the trolley and the key pad for credit cards are the most contaminated of all. I use a self scanner and bags supplied by the store- Waitrose- so the food isn't in a trolley (loose) at all.

You don't need to lick your fingers, you just need to get in your car and touch the steering wheel to put the bacteria all over the car. It will be there next time you drive.

TinfoilHattie · 27/02/2017 17:40

I had some packs of meat leak all over the bottom of a bag for life last week. So I chucked the bag in the bin and washed my hands.

The only hypothetical risk is of the outside of the packet coming into contact with something which is unpacked and without wrapping, and which you then eat without cooking. I'm struggling to think of anything like that in my shopping trolley yesterday. Even things like carrots which we buy loose we peel before eating.

Any bacteria would be easily killed by cooking and it's good food hygiene practice to always wash your hands when handling raw meat.

All this "ewwww ikky bacteria" stuff is usually total overkill. Wash your hands. Cook stuff properly. Job done.

LIZS · 27/02/2017 17:42

When this first came out supermarkets gave away separate bags for each fresh meat product, just after the charging for carrier bags to try to prevent waste came in Hmm now they don't seem to bother. Also cashiers don't wash hands between customers, nor wear plastic gloves to fill shelves, nor customers wash hands before pushing trolleys, nor clean trolley handles/£ slot in between ... If it worries you take hand sanitiser.

Original poster
Bookaboo · 27/02/2017 17:44

Chances of unnecessary plastic bag ended up in landfill : almost 100%

I'm all for reducing our impact on our environment and reducing unnecessary waste, but not when it's potentially at the expense of health.
I've been reducing, reusing and recycling where I can for many years before the plastic bag tax came in so I don't need a guilt trip about a using a tiny amount of extra plastic (which incidentally gets recycled anyway).

OP posts:
TinfoilHattie · 27/02/2017 17:44

You don't need to lick your fingers, you just need to get in your car and touch the steering wheel to put the bacteria all over the car. It will be there next time you drive.

And? You're assuming that the bacteria on your hands are actually dangerous and that they are present in sufficient quantity to harm you. Bacteria are everywhere, you cannot put yourself into a sterile little bubble and never come into contact with germs.

As long as you keep your kitchen clean - and I mean with soap and water, not bleaching everything hourly - wash your hands and make sure you are cooking meat through to piping hot, you won't go far wrong.

PollyPerky · 27/02/2017 17:58

Tin please don't be patronising. I'm not an idiot. Of course there are bacteria everywhere and some are good for us.

You aren't right on this though.

If you get campylobacter inside you from raw chicken you will be ill for a week or more - friend of mine did and lost half a stone in a few days. It's also a public health notifiable illness.

Keeping the kitchen clean is one thing, inadvertently swallowing campo is not something I'd recommend and you ought not to be so cavalier.

TinfoilHattie · 27/02/2017 18:21

I'm not cavalier - I just don't carry handwipes to the supermarket and disinfect my car!

LapinR0se · 27/02/2017 18:24

I think there is an unhealthy amount of thought going into this, especially by the OP

PollyPerky · 27/02/2017 18:31

Tin there is nothing wrong with cleaning hands after touching trolleys and packaging that may have serious food poisoning bacteria on it.
You're making out it's odd- it's not.

I don't think you have even read the article in the TGraph that is linked to otherwise you'd not be talking like this.

Argue with the authors of the report if you think it's all nonsense.

PollyPerky · 27/02/2017 20:05

Tin I don't carry hand wipes 'to the supermarket'. I have a packet of wipes in the car for any need. If I've picked up a leaking packet of chicken I use a wipe before driving off or wash my hands in the shop's loos. I don't disinfect the car- that's the point of the wipes, so the steering wheel doesn't get chicken bacteria all over it.

If you have ever had really bad food poisoning where you thought you were dying- and wanted to die to escape it all- you'd understand more.

Sparklingbrook · 27/02/2017 20:08

I have a packet of wipes in my handbag at all times. Is that so unusual? Confused

Original poster
Bookaboo · 27/02/2017 22:30

Bacteria are everywhere, you cannot put yourself into a sterile little bubble and never come into contact with germs.

I know, but we're not talking about bog standard bacteria here. Campylobacter, antibiotic resistant E. coli and salmonella to name a few.

I think there is an unhealthy amount of thought going into this, especially by the OP
Eh? It's just as well that some people are thinking about it I'd say!

I'm not actually a fan of antibacterial products like sanitisers and wipes, as I gather they can contribute to the development of resistance.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 28/02/2017 06:22

If there's no soap and water alternative wipes are the only option.

BeyondThePage · 28/02/2017 07:35

most people simply do not bother investing that amount of thought though.

So are you going to wipe the trolley handle? wipe the jar of coffee that someone picked up after picking up chicken? wipe the bottom of the trolley before putting anything in, wipe the belt before putting your shopping on - or wipe ALL your shopping before putting it in the bag... every time...

Would you buy a newspaper in a supermarket because someone may have touched a meat product and leafed through it.

An angry queue may form...