Important Hygiene Tips When Shopping for Food

People who have suffered a food-borne illness are motivated to clean up their own kitchens, however food can become contaminated at the grocery store or during the trip home. Although grocery stores are subject to hygiene regulations and inspections to keep food supplies clean, consumers should still shop with care.

Avoid Germs

• Wash your hands before going to the store and sanitize cart handles to prevent germs on your hands from transferring to food. Most grocery stores provide sanitizing wipes near cart storage areas, but you can bring your own wipes or disinfectant spray if you prefer.

  Avoid sampling fresh produce since it may not have been washed after harvesting. Sample all other foods with care, making sure employees distributing the samples are wearing gloves and the food hasn't been unrefrigerated for an extended period of time. If you observe store employees engaging in unclean practices, such as failing to wash hands before handling food or preparing raw meat in the vicinity of produce, alert management and steer clear of foods that may be compromised.

Plan Ahead

• Bring plastic bags with you to the grocery store to store raw meat, poultry and fish, keeping them separate from other foods to avoid cross-contamination. If you plan to purchase cleaning products in the same transaction with food items, bring a separate bag for chemicals or designate a spot in your cart where they will not touch anything edible.

  Map out your path through the store, making sure to purchase nonperishable items first, followed by refrigerated products, saving frozen foods for last. If items that must be kept cool or frozen stay in your cart as you shop, they may breed food-borne contaminants.

Inspect Products

• Read labels to ensure products meant to be refrigerated are properly stored.

  Check sell-by and expiration dates on all packaged products, making sure they have not already passed. If you have the option, always select the product with the most distant date. These are often located toward the back of shelves, since grocers put products closer to expiration in front with hopes of selling them before they spoil.

  Make sure canned and boxed foods are not dented, torn, dusty or mangled. Whenever packaging is compromised there is a chance contaminants have contacted the enclosed food. Inspect seals to make sure they are not broken or improperly affixed. Select refrigerated and frozen foods that are located deep within their displays and feel cold to the touch.

Transport Carefully

• Make sure your purchases are bagged so that produce and raw meat are kept separate to prevent contamination. If the weather is warm, keep grocery bags in your vehicle instead of the trunk and turn on your air-conditioning. Load bags of cold and frozen products last so you will be able to quickly access them and transfer them to your refrigerator when you get home.

  Return home quickly and if you have a long way to go, or need to make stops on the way, keep a cooler in your vehicle to store perishable foods. Food safety experts at North Dakota State University recommend using a cooler if food will be in your vehicle for longer than 1 hour.