3 Ways to Protect Yourself from Germs While Grocery Shopping

Michael Paulercio resides in Yonkers, New York and is a sports studies student at Manhattanville College. Aside from focusing on his academic studies, Michael Paulercio of Yonkers, New York holds the position of grocery clerk at Stew Leonard's. In this role, Mr. Paulercio assists customers and ensures the cleanliness of the store’s products and grocery carts.

Grocery stores are known to harbor germs. Below are a few tips for making your grocery shopping experience as sanitary as possible.

1. Sanitize your shopping cart. At least one research study demonstrated that grocery carts are frequently contaminated with fecal bacteria. An easy way to reduce your exposure to harmful pathogens is to use sanitary wipes to clean the handle and other parts of the cart.

2. Avoid taking free samples. Don’t take samples that have been unattended or if you don’t know how long they have been sitting out for. If you see an employee preparing cooked samples, take notice of how it is being prepared. Check to see if a food thermometer is used and if separate utensils are used for handling meat and vegetables.

3. Choose your produce carefully. Fruits and vegetables are frequently touched by shoppers and may have been sitting on the floor, in delivery trucks, or in contact with manure. Check for breaks in the skins of the produce as these openings allow bacteria to easily penetrate, and don't select fruits or vegetables with mold and cotton-like substances that may indicate spiders have been in contact with it. Avoid buying buying produce that shows any of these signs.