Can reusable bags make you sick?

Baltimore - When it comes to bagging groceries Paco Diaz and his family skip the plastic and bring their own reusable bags to the store instead "We feel like we're contributing towards a healthier environment," said Diaz. But could saving the environment be endangering your family's health?

Food safety expert Lisa Berger says reusable bags can become a breeding ground for bacteria.

"A lot of times the bags can become contaminated with different types of bacteria such as coliform or e-coli," she explained. Infection from these can cause stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea. Mindy Brashears, the Director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech University, put reusable bags to the test.
She and her team tested eleven bags - eight used - and three brand new.

"Coliforms and generic e-coli are things that we look for, as scientists, that indicate some kind of contamination has occurred," Brashears said.

While their tests found no evidence of contamination in the control bags, half of the used bags indicated coliform contamination. And twenty-five percent of the used bags tested positive for generic e-coli contamination.

"They were probably used to carry fruits and vegetables - perhaps they were un-bagged - or it could have been some type of animal product, whether it be dairy products, eggs or meat product."
Worried? Well, don't toss your bags just yet.

Berger says there are some easy ways to keep the germs at bay.

First: Designate certain bags for meat and others for produce and ready-to-eat foods - to avoid cross contamination.

"Because they are raw products, the bacteria such as e-coli, possibly salmonella, can contaminate these bags and then later can contaminate other fruits and vegetables that are placed in these bags."

Second: Wash the bags regularly, either by machine or by hand.

"Some of these bags also have a plastic coating on the bottom which can be removed and either put in a dishwashing machine or washed and sanitized using a bleach solution or some other sanitizer wipes.”
Dry them properly and store them in a clean place - away from animals and plants. "Take care of these bags, and just remember treat them like any other utensil you would use to touch your food and use a little bit of common sense in keeping those clean and it will go along way into protecting the consumer."

More tips to keep you healthy and green include:

• Do not use reusable bags for other purposes, like carrying books or gym clothes.
• When you are done shopping don't put bags with meat or produce in the trunk of your car because the higher temperature promotes bacteria.
• And even though the bags are designed to help us save the environment... Separate the raw foods into plastic bags to prevent bacteria.

While the Centers for Disease Control say there have been no reported outbreaks of bag related illnesses, food experts say it's often tough to pinpoint just where a food illness stems from.

They urge people to take proper precautions when using recyclable bags.