Britons have been urged to be careful when packing their groceries.
This is because mixing foods could cause potentially dangerous cross-contamination. It is important to take note when shopping in British supermarkets.
Reusable bags are encouraged when shopping at the supermarket as they help to cut back on waste.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) shared advice on how to stay safe and avoid cross-contamination with plastic reusable bags.
Reusable bags can increase the risk of cross-contamination
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Cross-contamination can occur if packing different foods in the same bags.
Some foods can cause illness, like raw meat, and can cause health issues if mixed with fresh foods.
The FSA explained: “Cross-contamination is what happens when bacteria or other microorganisms are unintentionally transferred from one object to another.
“The most common example is the transfer of bacteria between raw and cooked food.
“This is thought to be the cause of most foodborne infections.
“Cross-contamination can happen when bacteria is transferred in ways that are less obvious.
“For example, via reusable shopping bags, or in the drips and splashes produced if meat is washed which can contaminate other surfaces.”
Reusable bags don’t need to be binned altogether, the expert added, as there are still some ways to use these safely.
This includes bringing more bags to keep foods separate and checking for signs of spillage.
The FSA added: “Make sure you take enough shopping bags to pack raw and ready-to-eat food separately.
Reusable bags can be cleaned regularly
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“Check your bags for spillages after every use. If there has been visible spillage, soiling or damage, plastic bags for life should ideally be used for another purpose (where no safety risk will occur e.g. a bin liner) or replaced.
“Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate in your shopping trolley or basket.”
It also recommended cotton or fabric reusable bags that can be washed if needed.
This comes as Tesco recalled vegetables that were “unsafe to eat” after cross-contamination.
