The Cross-Contamination Red Flag You Might Find In The Grocery Store

Most people dread grocery shopping — meandering through aisles, an overwhelming amount of products to choose from, and tedious checkout lines are the necessary evils of putting food on the table. But mastering this delicate art will not only improve your shopping experience but make it a safer one too. It can be easy to grab items off the shelves and throw them into the cart at random, but you will miss the biggest grocery store red flag of all: cross-contamination.

In the culinary sense, cross-contamination is when raw or uncooked foods touch other things around them, potentially transferring bacteria and pathogens, and this doesn't just apply to that raw meat on your cutting board. Cross-contamination can run rampant at grocery stores, both on the shelves and in your cart. If you see a grocery store with raw ingredients on the same shelf as cooked items, run for the hills! Even if food is packaged, it can still leak or drip onto pre-cooked or other boxed products and introduce bacteria. This is why you don't — and certainly shouldn't — find raw meat hanging out in the bread aisle, and it's also why you should make sure the worker at the deli or meat counter isn't laying your cuts directly on the scale. Being aware of your surroundings and the placement of products when you're at the grocery store will ensure the safest shopping. 

Even if your local grocer is good about placing raw items in their own contained areas, you still run the risk of cross-contamination in your cart. While it may make sense to simply follow the order of the aisles, try grabbing your dry and packaged goods first and putting them all in the same place in the cart. Meat and dairy should be the last grocery items you grab to keep them from cross-contaminating and temperature spoiling before check out. Be sure to keep them out of the cart's top shelf because any leaking raw meat can spread bacteria to children who sit in the cart's built-in child compartment. 

Another way to avoid cross-contamination in your cart is by paying attention to the small details. You can research the quiet contamination risks behind pre-cut produce and opt for fresh fruits and veggies that can be purchased using individual produce bags instead. You can also double-check all deli packaging for any broken seals or leaks before putting them in your cart. This goes for eggs as well — make sure none are cracked, as the spilled yolk can spread bacteria to the surrounding eggs and packaging. By avoiding the mistakes everyone makes with raw meat and other uncooked goods, you'll have the green-flag grocery experience of your dreams.