Text by Muzna al Fahdiyah
A research study has recommended that shoppers at supermarkets use antiseptics or disposable insulation tape when using trolleys. The study urged the relevant authorities to lay down suitable regulations to protect shoppers from communicable diseases.
The study, conducted by a research team from Al Sharqiyah University, measured whether shopping trolleys can get contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. The study was among the winners of the National Scientific Research Award, 2019 and concluded that trolleys can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. It measured hygienic conditions on samples collected from 140 trolleys at 14 shopping centres during the period from November 2018 to August 2019.
The result of the study affirmed that shopping trolleys can be contaminated with varying levels of heterogeneous bacteria meaning that hygiene conditions vary from a supermarket to another. As a result, shopping trolleys can be considered as a means of bacterial transmitters which is now a scientific fact proved by the spread of drug-resistant bacteria that pose a real health threat for consumers. The research team called for the sterilization of trolleys by supermarkets to protect consumers from infection.
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