Until plastic supermarket bags are superseded, or indeed banned, consumers are being encouraged to (at least) reuse them. The UK government plans to make supermarkets charge 5p for a plastic bag shortly. The charge, which was announced in the recent Queen’s Speech, is designed to cut new bag use by up to 75%.
Some scientists are stirring the pot by suggesting that this could result in a rise in food poisoning. A number of studies have suggested that reusable bags harbour bacteria such as e-coli, salmonella and listeria. In one of the US studies, an increase in the number of people admitted to hospital with food poisoning correlated with new legislation banning retailers in San Francisco from giving customers plastic bags to hold their shopping.
So Addmaster has stepped in to solve the problem by initiating discussions with major supermarket chains to introduce its new ‘bag for life’, whose antimicrobial technology is designed to help reduce the problem of cross-contamination during grocery shopping.
Addmaster is a supplier of technically innovative additive formulations for the plastics, textile, paper, paints and coatings industry. It is citing international studies which indicate that an increase in the reuse of plastic bags can lead to a spike in illness rates as shoppers place new items in bags already used to store raw meat and vegetables.
In one study, a selection of reusable bags was analysed by Glasgow Caledonian University’s School of Health and Life Sciences. Four of the nine bags reportedly fell into the heavily contaminated category.
UK food safety expert, Dr. Lisa Ackerley said, “Multi-use bags are a concern of many industry experts and this bag provides a solution to the problem. Being labelled “for raw meat only” raises awareness of having to keep raw meat and ready-to-eat foods separate. With Biomaster protection built into the bag there is the added bonus of reducing the likelihood of cross-contamination of dangerous bacteria such as campylobacter when purchasing and handling food.”
Developed by Addmaster UK and made exclusively by UK bag manufacturer, Solent Group, the Biomaster anti-bacterial bag is treated with an agent proven to inhibit the growth of bacteria that might transfer between the bag and groceries held inside it.
When bacteria land on a Biomaster protected surface they cannot replicate and they die. The active agent in Biomaster is built into the bag during the manufacturing process, so the protection lasts for the useful lifetime of the bag.
Paul Morris, Addmaster managing director, said, “Multi-use bags which can carry raw meat one week and vegetables or clothing the next is a concern of many industry experts. This bag provides a solution to the problem.”
Of course, there are dissenters. Professor Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, has doubted that an anti-bacterial coating on a shopping bag would make much of a difference to the risks of contamination causing food poisoning.
He stated that it might make a small difference but that he would still advise that raw meat should never be packed into a reusable bag or with any other food, though he exempted meat packed in sealed packets as are commonly found on supermarket shelves. He added that he was unaware of the Addmaster product but that other companies have already contacted him about producing anti-bacterial bags and stated that the effectiveness of anti-bacterial technology would, he said, be dependent on the design of the bag and what it was used for.
“There might be some benefit but it really depends how you use them,” he said. “As long as the anti-bacterial substance has been tested and found to be harmless to humans there might be a small benefit. All raw meat should be wrapped in a one-use bag and the antibacterial properties of a bag, I would say, are much more useful – though of limited use – for putting your veg in a bag loose.”
Consumer advisory bodies in the UK such as The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and NHS Choices are already trying to educate shoppers who reuse bags to make sure that those used for raw meat and fish are not used to carry ready-to-eat foods.
