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Reusable Bags Pose a Food Poisoning Risk if They Are Used to Carry Raw Foods Such as Meat and Fish

  • October 06, 2017

As more people bring their own reusable bags to the market, BBC reports that everyone needs to be aware of reusable bags’ potential dangers. While fabric bags can be laundered after each use, plastic bags reused after carrying fresh meats can contaminate the next foods you purchase and pose food poisoning risks if you’re not careful. You should always use separate bags for raw foods such as meats and fish, and never mix your fresh foods with raw meats or household items like detergents.

I’m all for reducing or recyling products of all sorts, be it your clothing or the bags you carry your groceries in. But that said, before you use plastic ANYTHING, please think twice about what plastics are doing to our environment. Plastic has literally taken over everyday life and created a permanent pollution problem that threatens the very future of humanity. Put plainly, Earth is drowning in 9 billion tons of permanent plastic pollution.

Half the plastic made since 1950 was manufactured in the last 13 years, and the growth of the industry continues, despite the pollution and toxic problems it causes. Plastic pollution is an enormous worldwide problem. An estimated 4.7 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans each year where wave action turns them into a plastic soup, damaging sea life and marine ecosystems.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to reduce and eliminate plastics. Simple things, such as ditching plastic plates, glasses, eating utensils and even straws will cut back on plastic demand. Refuse to buy water bottled in plastic. Avoid processed foods (which are stored in plastic bags with chemicals). Buy fresh produce instead, and forgo the plastic bags for washable cloth ones.