FOOD NEWS
Why You Need To Start Cleaning Your Spice Containers More Often
By Haldan Kirsch
There are many ways that food-borne pathogens can be spread when cooking with raw meat, and the most dangerous variations can thrive fairly easily when proper sanitation practices aren’t followed. While we focus on sinks, cutting boards, and kitchen tools, we may be missing many other contaminated items, and spice containers can contain some of the highest levels of contaminants.
In a study to analyze food safety precautions, researchers asked participants to prepare turkey burgers in their homes with the virus MS2 infused into the meat as a pathogen tracing method. In the end, 48% of spice containers had signs of cross-contamination after participants either neglected to clean these surfaces or mishandled their spices and raw meat without cleaning their hands in between.
According to the lead researcher, Donald Schaffner, “Our research shows that any spice container you touch when you’re preparing raw meat might get cross-contaminated,” meaning that spice containers may be a key vehicle for the spread of food-borne pathogens. So, it might be a good idea to give your spice jars a thorough cleaning or prep your spices before handling raw meat.