FSA Issues Warning Over Plastic Bags

A new survey has suggested that Northern Ireland's shoppers are putting their health in danger by reusing plastic bags.

Of the 1,000 people polled, 65% admitted they did not keep a separate bag for raw meat or fish, the BBC has reported.

The Food Standard Agency (FSA) said this was putting people at risk of food poisoning.

It added that the number of food poisoning cases tend to double over the summer and they issued a warning of the dangers of spills and leaks.

Almost everyone who participated in the survey (96%) said they had used reusable bags for food shopping since the carrier bag levy was introduced earlier this year. Of those, 82% said they did separate raw meat from other foods, but only 35% keep a reusable bag solely for fresh meat and fish items.

Michael Jackson of the FSA is quoted as saying: "Packing raw meat and fish with ready to eat foods can lead to spreading germs which can cause food poisoning, especially if there are any spillages or leaks from the raw meat packaging.

"While a carrier bag may look clean, there is always the potential for these germs to spread onto food which is ready to eat.

"That's why it's a good idea to have separate, identifiable bags for raw and ready-to eat-foods."

Raw meat can contain germs that cause food poisoning, such as salmonella, E.coli and campylobacter.

(JP/CD)