'Killer bugs' warning to eco-conscious Brits using reusable shopping bags

06 October 2023 , 10:35

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Your bag for life could be giving you food poisoning (Image: Getty Images)

Bags for life may be better for the environment - but could be posing a risk to you and your family's health.

That's the finding of research into the sustainable plastic bag alternatives, which scientists say are actually harbouring nasty bugs which cause horrendous tummy problems and diarrhoea. Loading the shoppers with uncooked meat, fruit and veg could lead to a build up of bacteria getting trapped in the woven fabric.

A study in 2011 looked at randomly-collected reusable shopping bags, revealing gruesome findings. In almost all of the bags, scientists found bacteria, including eight which were harbouring E. coli.

The harmful bacteria could leave people seriously ill from food poisoning. It's known to result in intestinal problems and, in some cases, even death.

While not every strain of the bacteria will leave a person seriously ill, but food safety experts warn the importance of washing the bags out regularly and taking extra precaution when preparing loose food which has been inside, and even going so far as to pack meat and fresh produce separately.

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Authors of the report write: "Since these bags are often reused, and potentially are used for multiple purposes, the possibility for contamination of food products as well as the consumer’s hands exists."

It adds: "When meat juices were added to bags and stored in the trunks of cars for two hours, the number of bacteria increased 10-fold, indicating the potential for bacterial growth in the bags."

But before chucking your bags away and wasting pennies of single-use plastic bags which take centuries to biodegrade, researchers say shoppers should just take more care. "For bags that are made from cotton, or other materials such as polyester, these can generally be machine washed like how you would normally wash these materials," the report says.

"We recommend that you put them on a hot water setting (the hottest the material can stand without shrinking) with a detergent. This way the hot water as well as the detergent will kill any nasty germs lurking in the bag!"

Susie Beever