Shopping carts pose food poisoning risks to infants, toddlers

Shopping carts have been identified as the latest source of possible food poisoning at the supermarket.

We’ve recently reported on the risks linked with packaging around raw meats and now a new study from Ireland has linked riding in shopping carts as another source of food poisoning.

Irish health officials believe many of the 20 to 40 cases of Salmonella poisoning among 1-year-old children there are due to riding in shopping carts that transport raw meats. And the risk is not eliminated if the child never touches the package of meat or if the meat is placed inside another bag before it’s placed in the cart.

The same study also pinpointed pets as a source of food poisoning.
To reduce the risk of food poisoning among infants and toddlers at the supermarket, health officials in Ireland recommend “placing children in shopping trolleys with raw meat and poultry products is not safe practice. Parents and other adults must wash their hands thoroughly after touching food and before lifting the infant.”

Also, having small pets like reptiles, snakes and amphibians for children in that age range is not a good idea.

Infants and the very young are among those most at risk for the most serious forms of food poisoning. More serious symptoms could require hospitalization and lead to serious injuries and long-term effects.