ECOShift

I was reading an article, published in many papers over the past week, on the safety of reusable grocery bags.  To sum it up the Canadian Plastics Industry Association hired two independent labs to do testing of reusable grocery bags.  The objective was to evaluate the cleanliness of these types of bags and the appropriateness of these bags for carrying groceries (food).  Apparently, the study found that 64% of the bags tested were contaminated with some level of bacteria and 40% of the tested bags had yeast or mould and some had detectable levels of coliforms. 

According to Dr. Richard Summerbell, the more waterproof the bag the longer it will take for moisture to evaporate and the more likely it is to get bacterial growth in the bag.  The most likely issue would be in the case where there is spillage from meat products. 

The second study focused on the potential issues of using the same bags you use for your groceries to carry your gym clothes, diapers, and sports equipment etc.  I would certainly think there’s something wrong with that idea.  I can also certainly see the merit in the comments regarding the potential for bacterial growth in grocery bags.   I do, however, think there are some relatively simple things we can do to address these concerns.  Switching back to plastic bags certainly doesn’t strike me as the answer, although I’m sure the Canada Plastics Industry would like to see that.

Since reusable grocery bags are relatively new for some people I can certainly see that maybe there are some things we haven’t considered.  But, this doesn’t mean that bags are not an appropriate approach for carrying groceries.

So, here are some ideas that pop into my head to help address some of the concerns raised:

• Wash your grocery bags periodically.  We do laundry every week, and our grocery bags are not that big that we can’t fit them in with an existing load of laundry.
• Don’t roll your bags up into little balls that won’t allow any moisture to escape.  Hang them up somewhere by the handles where moisture can evaporate
• Use different colour bags or different style of bags for carrying items that could spill (i.e. meats, eggs, fruits and veggies etc.)
• If you don’t have different colour bags, and can’t find one, use a plastic bag only for these items that you fear could spill.  It’s still better to carry 90% of your groceries in reusable bags than to do nothing.
• Consider plastic bins as these do offer some advantages.  They don’t fall over in your trunk, and you can clean them easily.  The key is, don’t forget to clean them.
• This sounds like a no brainier to me but; don’t put your groceries in the same bag you put your dirty sweat socks and sports underwear.  What’s the deal with that idea?  Get a different bag to carry these types of items for obvious reasons.

I’m sure there are many more ideas that we can come up with and these are just a few.  If you have some additional thoughts or ideas, share them with us.

The key is that as we move forward we need to think about things differently.   Let’s be careful that these types of articles don’t spark fear and cause a return to old ways.

If you are interestd in reading the original article you can find it here and you can read the report here.