Mall Food Trays Dirty as Toilets

[Jenn! 918]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Plastic trays used at shopping mall food courts are as dirty as a gas station toilet seat, an investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. found.

The CBC took swab samples from trays in three Vancouver-area malls and had them analyzed by the University of British Columbia.

"We saw as many bacteria on some food trays as we saw on a (gas station) toilet," university microbiologist Bob Hancock told the broadcaster.

He said it was troubling that two of the trays were contaminated with "a fairly large number" of acinetobacter bacteria, which causes gastrointestinal illness and is highly resistant to antibiotics, the CBC said.

"Acinetobacter is one of the superbugs in our society that's causing major problems in individuals throughout the world," Hancock said.

The news network said various officials at the malls insisted the trays were routinely wiped and disinfected, and were never meant to come into direct contact with food.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/02/15/Probe-Mall-food-trays-dirty-as-toilets/UPI-78311297784363/#ixzz1EJpL9nUY

[Fandango 1,439]

No real surprise there, actually.

I used to work in a dept store's salon, so for lunch if I would ever eat at the mall, I'd actually ALWAYS ask for my stuff in to go bags because I figured the trays are manky and gross. I never see them get washed, and God knows how many people go to the bathroom and don't wash their hands.

Then again, I'm a total germophobe, and flush public toilets with my shoe