72% of Grocery Carts Test Positive for Fecal Bacteria

A recent test by the University of Arizona found that 72% of grocery carts tested positive for fecal bacteria and around 50% of those also contained E. Coli.

Typically they found more fecal bacteria on the grocery cart handles than is usually found in the store restrooms.

Carts one of dirtiest places in grocery store, study says

Gerba says 72% of the carts had a positive marker for fecal bacteria. When they examined some of the samples, they found Escherichia coli, also known as E. coli, on half of them.

Researchers say they actually found more fecal bacteria on grocery cart handles than you would typically find in a bathroom, mainly because bathrooms are disinfected more often than shopping carts.

This is because typically they wash the restroom down every often. But the carts are typically never washed.

I know I'm going to start taking some wipes with me when I go to the store now!

Nice to get headlines but unfortunately the majority of people are idiots and make comments like above.

Perhaps you'd care to wear a bio hazard suit to work cause I can guarantee you that most people that shake your hands (or touch anything you touch) would have similar percentages.

I have seen several grocery stores actually hose off their carts.

It's really rare though, but I have seen it at least two or three times in my travels.

Somethings are best left unkown.

it's like thebowls of peanuts they put out on the bar top in pubs. Full of pee and other nasties.

i must admit, after a few pints, I soon forget and have a good free munch.

reply to post by no special characters

people are idiots and make comments like above.

People are idiots for taking necessary precautions? I think it would be you deemed an idiot that would suggest not trying to prevent the spreading of diseases...then have the audacity to suggest wearing a hazmat suit....your comments only solidify your ignorance!

Well, I guess the SHTF already, got blown around everywhere, and we didn't even notice.

Sorry, I had to...

This how you render a country helpless by infecting convience carts, issues like this need to be addressed

Originally posted by CIGGSofWAR
This how you render a country helpless by infecting convience carts, issues like this need to be addressed

Not just the trolleys, what about all the fruit and veg you see people fumbling through to get the nicest looking ones?

I never bothered to wash mine before eating, I will now.

Originally posted by JonoEnglish
Somethings are best left unkown.

This

It's just an inconvenient truth we live with. To put it in perspective, when you smell someone's fart, your inhaling their fecal material.

EWWWWWWWW.

reply to post by Frogs


And THAT'S why I leave the shopping to my lady.

Oh...


"Baby, wash your hands! 72% of shopping carts of poop on them!"

"You're going shopping next"

- Great, thanks. Some information SHOULD be kept secret.

This shouldn't be too surprising and should be expected of any public space that has regular human contact such as door knobs, bar counters, faucets...money.

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by JonoEnglish
Somethings are best left unkown.

This

It's just an inconvenient truth we live with. To put it in perspective, when you smell someone's fart, your inhaling their fecal material.

EWWWWWWWW.

If you consider a gas to be fecal material... the gases are no different from any other form of the gasses. You aren't inhaling any material with DNA on it unless you had your nose up their butt when they farted.

Wait - These are American grocery carts, right?

In Canada we are taught to wash our hands, or at least I was.

Another Gem for fecal bacteria is the ATM buttons.

Isnt it lovely that the process of feeding yourself and extracting money from a bank requires touching another persons pooh?

Fabulous

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by JonoEnglish
Somethings are best left unkown.

This

It's just an inconvenient truth we live with. To put it in perspective, when you smell someone's fart, your inhaling their fecal material.

EWWWWWWWW.

Ok that's gross, (quickly orders pack of gas masks from ebay)

And people complain about passive smoking. lol

There is fecal matter everywhere.

Originally posted by Gradius Maximus
Wait - These are American grocery carts, right?

In Canada we are taught to wash our hands, or at least I was.


Fabulous

LOL...expect a backlash there matey...

reply to post by RestingInPieces


There are some fecal particles in there too, granted most probably get traped by clothing.

If you don't put the toilet seat down when you taking a deuce, particles get ejected into the air landing on things in your bathroom: Wash clothes, hair brushes, tooth brushes.

Wet farts anyone?

Bacteria are not always as bad as they are made out to be.

Disinfecting everything leaves you without anything to test your resistances against.
Disinfecting everything leaves you weak and susceptible to disease when you finally run across it.

Being exposed to a fair amount of bacterial agents is actually GOOD for you, and it improves your immune system response capacity greatly.

Please do not think bacteria are always bad. 95% of the time they are good for us, even when they appear bad.

This is a reason that many people are sickly and ill these days, especially children; because they are "protected" from nature and fail to develop resistances and their immune system lacks strength.

That's what I let my kids get dirty. We clean up messes yes, but we do not disinfect everything. Bacteria are typically good for kids. BTW my kids are 100% healthy have had NO problems ever!!!

What does not kill you makes you stronger.