The humble tea towel could lead to food poisoning, CFT food safety tips

Studies have shown the humble kitchen tea towel could be a breeding ground for nasty bacteria.  This post gives you some food safety advice from CFT International.

Researchers from the University of Mauritius performed tests on 100 cloth towels they collected from participants that had been used over a month.

The results found 49 of the samples had bacterial growth including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).  Almost half the towels had bacteria growing on them.  E.coli was more likely to develop on towels that had been left to sit damp.

The number of people in a household, particularly the number of children, also increased the bacterial growth, as did the diet of the residents — meat eaters’ towels had more bacteria, the study’s lead author Dr Susheela Biranjia-Hurdoyal, a senior lecturer in health sciences found.

Food poisoning affects approximately 1.4 million Australian each year, and symptoms can range from a minor headache to severe stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and nausea.

If you don’t throw your tea towel in the wash after each time you dry a load of dishes, then you could be exposing yourself to food poisoning-causing bacteria.

That’s the message from Rachelle Williams, chair of the Food Safety Information Council, who says you never want to leave a wet tea towel hanging on a kitchen hook.

Remember to stay up to date with food safety training.  CFT can help!