Supermarket as hidden hygiene risk

– A germ test commissioned by the ARD Mittagmagazin... –

Bitterfeld-Wolfen, 13.07.2016

A germ test commissioned by the ARD Mittagsmagazin in various German supermarkets reveals infectious pathogens at deposit machines, baking stations and shopping trolleys. Experts advise better hand hygiene after every purchase.

Everyone has heard of germs in toilets, even if far too few still wash their hands after going to the toilet. But dangerous germs in the supermarket? With the dozens of people who reach there every day for baking flaps, press the button for the empties voucher or have a firm grip on the shopping trolley, the suspicion is also obvious.
 
The ARD Mittagmagazin wanted to know more and took samples from the discounters Aldi and Lidl as well as the supermarkets EDEKA and REWE, which were analysed by a recognised laboratory. The microbiological search for the number and type of germs revealed some shocking results:
 
In addition to the common germs of everyone's skin flora, expert Prof. Reinier Mutters from the Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene Marburg also found intestinal germs, germs that cause diarrhoea, germs that spoil food, wet germs, pus germs, moulds and even multi-resistant germs.
 
Germ contamination in the food shopping area is thus hardly any different from that in toilets.
 
Do shops pay too little attention to hygiene? "Baking stations and beverage vending machines located inside shops are subject to the hygienic supervision of the operators," says Prof. Mutters. However, there are no concrete hygiene regulations in the food trade for shopping trolleys and deposit machines, only for the baking stations. The conclusion of the Mittagsmagazin: "Supermarket customers should better protect themselves from germs by consistently washing their hands after every purchase".
 
This is justified advice, but in our opinion it is often too late, because most people unconsciously touch themselves several times beforehand in the nose and mouth area and thus unintentionally give pathogens access to their own bodies. It is advantageous to rub your hands with a suitable hand disinfectant immediately after shopping.
 
The practical 100 ml smock bottles of the hand disinfectant
 
Wofasept AHA,
 
the skin-friendly, alcoholic gel for hygienic hand disinfection from KESLA, are recommended for on-the-go use. Rinsing is not necessary.