From washing your dishes to cleaning your kitchen surfaces, cleaning spice containers is often not part of the usual after-dinner cleaning routine. A new study published in the Journal of Food Protection warns that small jars are “the possible culprit in spreading disease.”
MAY BE SALMONELLA SLOT
Spice containers mean that disease-causing germs like salmonella can live. The researchers found that seasoning utensils are most likely to become contaminated after cooking.
During research, it was found that about half of the spice jars were contaminated after someone used them in cooking. Donald Schaffner, co-author of the study, said: “Our research shows that any seasoning container you touch while preparing raw meat can be cross-contaminated.” You should be conscious of this during or after meal preparation. If you’re not aware, cross-contamination details the process by which microbes are transferred from one substance or object to another, often creating “harmful effects.”
“EVEN WORST”, they warned
Worse, the researchers warned that a “significant portion” of diseases such as salmonella are caused by raw meats such as chicken, turkey and beef. This means that “harmful” microbes can travel from the meat you choose to your spice container.
Fortunately, researchers believe that “proper handling of food”, including adequate cooking, consistent hand washing, and sterilizing kitchen surfaces and utensils, can combat cross-contamination.