Meat-Borne Infection Risk from Shopping Carts

In terms of cross-contamination of fecal bacteria, what about just picking up packages of meat at the store? From CDC researchers, published recently in the Journal of Food Protection: “Riding in Shopping Carts and Exposure to Raw Meat and Poultry Products: Prevalence of, and Factors Associated with, This Risk Factor for Salmonella and Campylobacter Infection in Children Younger Than 3 Years.” 

“Riding in a shopping cart next to raw meat or poultry is a risk factor for Salmonella and Campylobacter infections in infants.” Kids riding in the basket had 18 times the odds of exposure compared to those placed backwards in the seats.

“Several simple steps are likely to help reduce infants’ and children’s exposure to raw meat or poultry products in a grocery store, thereby reducing their risk of exposure to pathogens that may be present on these packages. When riding [in] shopping carts, infants and children should be placed in the child seats, rather than the baskets of the carts. An option for older children is the use of alternative shopping carts designed with stroller-like seats or miniature motor vehicles in front of the cart basket.”

Placing raw meat and poultry products on the rack underneath the cart would also limit direct child–product contact.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

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• Patrick ME, Mahon BE, Zansky SM, Hurd S, Scallan E. Riding in shopping carts and exposure to raw meat and poultry products: prevalence of, and factors associated with, this risk factor for salmonella and campylobacter infection in children younger than 3 years. J Food Prot. 2010 Jun;73(6):1097-100.

Image in video thanks to carlosluis.

• Campylobacter
• children
• fecal contamination
• food poisoning
• foodborne illness
• infants
• meat
• poultry
• Salmonella