Is It Safe to Reuse Plastic Bags That Have Had Raw Meat in Them?
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Washing Plastic Bags
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Plastic bags that have stored most foods can be turned inside out, washed and dried in a dish rack. This isn't true for bags that have contained raw meat. Unless you wash the bags in water hotter than 165 degrees Fahrenheit or use bleach, harmful bacteria may still be present. The bag may have hard-to-reach areas, like the grooves of a plastic storage bag, that are hard to wash.
Harmful Bacteria
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The bacteria that remain on a bag that has contained raw meat are extremely harmful. Salmonella, the most common source of food-borne illness, causes diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. This harmful bacteria lives in raw meat and can contaminate other foods if raw meat juices come into contact with them. This is why storing salad or even crackers in a bag that has contained meat is a bad idea. E. coli, another harmful bacteria, is another contaminant that could be present.
Cooking Doesn't Kill all Bacteria
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You might think that it's OK to store meat in a bag that has already contained raw meat, believing that once the meat is cooked all bacteria will be killed. However, cooking temperatures are not always high enough to kill all bacteria, especially if the meat isn't cooked perfectly well-done. To avoid the risk of illness, it's best not to store any food in plastic bags that have contained meat.
Reusing Bags for Other Purposes
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While it isn't safe to store food in bags that have contained meat, they can be used for other purposes. They can be used to dispose of kitty litter or to pick up after your dog in the yard. If it's snowing outside, you can put them on the side mirrors and windshield wipers of your car at night to make scraping easier in the morning. Always remember to wash your hands after handling them.
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