Be Thankful If You Get Out of Grocery Ick-Free

By Leigh Dyer, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Nov. 19–Something to think about as you head out for your Thanksgiving groceries this weekend: Shopping carts have been shown to be breeding grounds for salmonella, e. coli, flu viruses and worse.

Many grocery chains have responded over the past year by providing disinfectant wipes for customers to wipe down handles before roaming the aisles. Area chains that supply them include Bi-Lo, Bloom and Earth Fare; Harris Teeter plans to add them the first week in December.

Health experts are divided on the benefits. Some disinfectants can irritate skin, and take up to 10 minutes to work.

“I just don’t see the logic in it,” said Lynn Mintzer of Mooresville.

Mintzer’s skepticism isn’t surprising.

Three years ago, she started a company called Baby A La Cart to make fabric covers for the front baskets of shopping carts to protect ride-along children. At the time, she was one of three such companies in the country; now there are about 60.

Wendi Francis of Tega Cay, S.C., bought a blue patterned shopping cart cover for her 14-month-old daughter, Kaiya.

“They’re so young and they pick up so much stuff. I just feel like I need to protect her,” she said Friday as Kaiya nibbled at a set of salt and pepper shakers in Earth Fare’s Ballantyne store.

The covers can work, but they must be laundered frequently, said Kelly Reynolds, a University of Arizona researcher who conducted a much-publicized shopping-cart study.

“You can pick up the germs and then bring them home with you,” she said.

She recommends wipedowns — most disinfectants work much faster than 10 minutes, she said. Sani-Cart Wipes, the brand supplied by Earth Fare and Bloom, kill the flu virus in 30 seconds, a company spokesman said.

(Don’t read this if you’re eating: Reynolds’ study found shopping carts had saliva, mucus, urine, fecal matter and blood and juices from raw meat on them.)

Health experts continue to recommend frequent hand-washing as the best protection against disease. Even John Luposello, product manager for the New York-based company that makes Sani-Cart Wipes, agrees.

“Plain old soap and water cleans your hands just fine,” he said.

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