When going to the supermarket, be careful with these dirtiest places

Supermarkets are crowded places and contain all kinds of goods from fresh to dry, so even though they are cleaned regularly, some locations are still very dirty and pose a potential risk of disease transmission.

Supermarkets – self-service stores that sell a variety of items from food, drinks, household appliances and many other household items – although they look spacious and clean, they contain many bacteria and diseases. With food products, supermarkets focus on both dry and fresh and frozen foods, so the number of bacteria and molds is not small. Pathogens are highly concentrated in certain locations, so when you go to the supermarket, you should be careful with these dirtiest places.

The dirtiest locations in the supermarket

You cannot stay away from these locations because you need to choose goods, carry them and pay; However, when going to the supermarket, you should be careful with these dirtiest places to limit the risk of infection.

Fruit and vegetable stall

Usually when choosing fruits and vegetables, many people have the habit of picking them up to check and squeeze them to see if the fruit is ripe before deciding whether to buy or not. This means that before you, many other hands have also touched vegetables and fruits. If you go to the supermarket in the afternoon or evening, more people will check out that item. 

According to a study conducted by the environmental protection organization Reuse This Bag (RTB), products in fruit and vegetable stands have three times more bacteria than toothbrush trays. Therefore, even if the fruits and vegetables purchased from the supermarket have clear origins, you still need to soak them thoroughly with salt water or fruit and vegetable washing solutions before using them.

Freezer door 

CBC’s Marketplace organization (Canada) researched and looked at the amount of germs on freezer doors and discovered that commonly touched surfaces such as cabinet doors contain many bacteria and viruses. 

Another study also showed that swabs stuck to freezer door handles had 1,235 times more bacteria than the surface of a regular cell phone.

Hand holding shopping basket

Marketplace research shows that shopping cart handles are the second dirtiest surface in supermarkets; This is one of the tools that contains the most bacteria thanks to its high contact and circulation ability.

According to Leann Poston, a consultant with Invigor Medical, despite trying to maintain general hygiene, it is almost impossible for supermarket staff to clean all the baskets of goods that people touch. Furthermore, baskets of goods are often stacked on top of each other, customers who come later will take them to use in order from top to bottom, but few people choose. 

To be safer when picking up the shopping cart, you can line it with a piece of tissue paper and then carry the basket; Or after going to the supermarket, wash your hands with soap. Avoid putting your hands on your face or covering your mouth when holding a supermarket cart. 

Area for cleaning products

Vice President of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology – James Sublett once announced in a report that detergents contain volatile chemicals that make you short of breath, sneezing and runny nose. People with allergies are advised not to stay too long in the detergent product display area. 

Payment carousel

When going to the supermarket, be careful with this dirtiest place. According to a study by Dr. Michael Schmidt, a microbiologist at the University of Southern California Medical School, USA, poultry, raw fish and other agricultural products placed on the payment conveyor belt can easily cause cross-contamination. Especially among them are E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus… which have a very high potential to cause food poisoning.

To ensure safety, these foods should be kept in sealed nylon bags or sealed plastic trays, and should be carefully prepared before eating to ensure safety. 

Payment area

Payment is the last step when you go to the supermarket. Currently, in addition to cash, most supermarkets accept other forms of payment such as scanning codes, swiping cards through POS machines or card swiping machines with pin code input. However, according to Marketplace research, these are the two devices that contain the most bacteria in the supermarket because they are rotated from person to person, making it easy for bacteria to accumulate and spread.

These two machines are also not cleaned continuously. Therefore, when you go to the supermarket, be careful with these dirtiest places.