British professor Hugh Pennington warns reusable shopping bags can be contaminated with E.coli

STAFF WRITERS
October 29, 2013
news.com.au

SHOPPERS might think they’re doing the world a lot of good when they ditch the plastic in favour of reusable bags.

But one expert warns they can act as a breeding ground for bacteria which can potentially kill you.

Not only can the environmentally-friendly bags contain dangerous bacteria such as E.coli, but they can transfer it onto other foods.
Professor of bacteriology Hugh Pennington claims the bags for life should never be used to transport raw meat or even vegetables with dirt on them.

Prof Pennington from the University of Aberdeen said the bags could maintain dangerous bacteria that even strong detergents couldn’t remove.

He said shoppers should always use plastic when it came to raw meat.
“They shouldn’t be going into Hessian or cotton bags, even if they are wrapped, because the outside of their packages carry bacteria,” he told Mail Online .

“Raw meats should be separated from the rest of shopping – particularly from unwrapped things that will be eaten raw.”

The news may be a blow for retailers who not only rely on shoppers’ green conscience to save plastic costs, but also use them as a form of free advertising.

But shoppers who only use them for shoes, clothes or boxed items need not throw them out just yet, unless you’re planning to throw some meat in with your new handbag.