The General Hygiene Tip You Should Always Follow When Shopping In The Bulk Bins

Bulk bins are a great alternative for anyone who wants to make their grocery shopping a bit more sustainable. Customers can bring or buy reusable containers and fill them up with products, typically those with a long shelf life, like grains and nuts. This model allows people to use fewer single-use plastic packages. Because shoppers can buy the exact amount they need, bulk bins also help reduce unnecessary food waste. Given their environmental benefits, why aren't bulk bins more popular? Probably because some customers have the gross habit of touching the food while shopping. 

Your hands are probably dirty as soon as you get to the grocery store, whether it's from carrying your cellphone or simply touching your car's steering wheel. Even if you recently washed your hands, once you grab the grocery cart, you're likely coming into contact with the filth that's on it, including germs, bacteria, and even bird poop. Sure, it's impossible to avoid germs, but keeping your dirty hands out of food that other people will eat is simply basic hygiene and common courtesy. Instead, it's important to always use the scoops that stores provide. These are supposed to be washed regularly, so they're the cleanest way to buy from bulk bins. 

Touching foods that are in bulk bins is never okay, especially since most of these foods aren't washed before consumption. But what about foods that will be washed, like produce? Giving produce a light squeeze is a universal way to pick and choose the best products. This method also helps you determine how ripe produce is, which is essential if you're looking to consume it soon. In fact, some would consider not squeezing your produce as a grocery shopping mistake that's costing you money. Yet others think this habit is similar to touching bulk bin items, since you're still handling food that others will eat.

The produce debate isn't as easily resolved as the bulk bin one. Regardless of where you stand, it'll be much more difficult to convince people to stop checking whether avocados are ripe before they buy them. This is part of the reason why it's so important to always thoroughly wash your fruits and vegetables, even when you're going to peel them. And because contamination can happen at any point between buying and consuming, it's best to wash produce right before cooking it rather than when you get home from the store.