- Out of the estimated 48 million cases of foodborne illness that occur every year in the U.S., up to 20% may be linked to food prepared at home
- In a study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, about 48% of the spice containers were contaminated
- Cutting boards and trash can lids were the No. 2 and No. 3 most-contaminated objects, while the handles of sink faucets turned out to be least-contaminated
- In another study conducted in 10 U.S. kitchens, 67% of sponges tested positive for fecal coliforms, while 33% contained E. coli
- Handwashing, even for five to 8.99 seconds, significantly reduces contamination risk
Out of the estimated 48 million cases of foodborne illness that occur every year in the U.S., up to 20% may be linked to food prepared at home.1 This means food you cook right in your own kitchen has the potential to make you sick, and it’s possible to transfer those disease-causing germs onto other surfaces nearby.
While you may be aware of the risks of a dirty sponge used one too many times — or even how your kitchen sink could serve as a reservoir of bacteria — when’s the last time you cleaned your spice jars?
It turns out these inconspicuous kitchen staples may be among the primary culprits for cross-contamination, and pose perhaps the highest contamination risk in your kitchen.
48% of Spice Containers Were Contaminated
In a study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service,2 researchers with Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and colleagues analyzed 371 adults cooking turkey burgers in kitchens ranging from apartment-style to those in teaching locations and food banks.3
Poultry, including chicken and turkey, are among the top sources of Campylobacter-related illnesses, with the bacteria causing 0.8 million foodborne infections per year in the U.S.4 As noted in the Journal of Food Protection:5
“According to the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration, 40.5% of nontyphoidal Salmonella illnesses were attributed to Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)-regulated products, whereas 78.8% of all nondairy Campylobacter illnesses were attributed to FSIS-regulated products that includes, in descending order, chicken, turkey, other meat or poultry, beef, pork, and game (0.6%).
Clearly, improper handling of raw poultry, such as inadequate cooking, poor hand washing, and cross-contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods in the home, can result in the development of foodborne illness from such pathogens.”
To determine just how prevalent cross-contamination is on kitchen surfaces during ordinary meal preparation, the researchers asked participants to prepare a meal of raw ground turkey patties with seasoning and a prepackaged salad. The meat was inoculated with a bacteriophage called MS2 to serve as a tracer throughout the kitchens.
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The subjects didn’t know their food safety behaviors were being scrutinized until after the meal was already prepared. The researchers then swabbed a variety of common surfaces, including sink faucet handles, kitchen utensils and spice containers. Surprisingly, the handles of sink faucets turned out to be least contaminated, while spice containers were the most.
About 48% of the spice containers were contaminated with MS2 — significantly higher than most other kitchen surfaces tested, which typically had contamination frequencies of less than 20%.6 Cutting boards and trash can lids were the No. 2 and No. 3 most contaminated objects. According to study coauthor Donald Schaffner, a distinguished professor in the Department of Food Science at Rutgers, in a news release:7
“In addition to more obvious surfaces like cutting boards, garbage can lids and refrigerator handles, here’s something else that you need to pay attention to when you’re trying to be clean and sanitary in your kitchen. Our research shows that any spice container you touch when you’re preparing raw meat might get cross-contaminated. You’ll want to be conscious of that during or after meal preparation.
… We were surprised because we had not seen evidence of spice container contamination before. Most research on the cross-contamination of kitchen surfaces due to handling of raw meat or poultry products has focused on kitchen cutting boards or faucet handles and has neglected surfaces like spice containers, trash bin lids and other kitchen utensils.
This makes this study and similar studies from members of this group more comprehensive than previous studies.”
What Other Kitchen Surfaces Have the Most Germs?
Bacteria are virtually everywhere, and they’re not always cause for alarm. However, when washing dishing be wary of reusing sponges too many times, as studies repeatedly count them as among the most contaminated kitchen objects.
In a study conducted in 10 U.S. kitchens, 67% of sponges tested positive for fecal coliforms, while 33% contained E. coli.8 Other research found Salmonella in 15.4% of sponge samples, while a hygiene study revealed kitchen sponges had the second highest load of coliforms — only drain traps were higher.9 As noted in BMC Public Health:10
“During cleaning food residues may adhere to the sponge surface and damp sites such as sink areas can act as further microbial reservoirs that can contaminate the sponges during their use. Subsequent poor handling, storage or improper disinfection of kitchen sponges will lead to further microbial growth at room temperature.
Consequently, kitchen sponges are a major source of cross-contamination as they can transmit foodborne pathogens, infectious agents and spoilage causing microorganisms to food contact surfaces.”
In another study, researchers analyzed 14 used sponges and found 45 billion microbes per square centimeter.11,12 Dish sponges harbor the largest number of E. coli and other fecal bacteria in the average home, likely because they aren’t replaced as they should. A number of studies have confirmed kitchen sponges contain the highest number of bacteria on household products.13
Can Kitchen Sponges Be Cleaned?
Both sponges and brushes used for dish washing tend to be contaminated with nonpathogenic bacteria, although the brushes contained lower levels in one study.14 Further, when brushes were contaminated with Salmonella and allowed to dry overnight, the bacteria died more rapidly than in sponges.
“The results in the present study indicated that cleaning utensils that dried between use would have lower numbers of bacteria including pathogens,” the researchers explained, and suggested using brushes, which dry more easily between uses, in lieu of sponges. They also stated you can help prevent Salmonella growth in sponges by:15
- Changing the sponge when it is worn
- Not storing the sponge in the sink
According to the USDA, microwaving sponges properly may also kill up to 99.99999% of bacteria, while running them through the dishwasher kills 99.9998%.16 If you do put your sponge in your microwave, be sure it doesn’t contain any metallic materials.
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Michigan State University also advises the sponge be completely wet when you do it, as it could catch fire or explode in the process if it isn’t.17 The wet sponge should be placed on high for one minute and left to cool for up to 15 minutes so you don’t get burned.
What Other Kitchen Surfaces Have the Most Germs?
Cutting boards are another major offender when it comes to harboring dangerous bacteria. Experts recommend having at least two cutting boards, one for foods safely eaten raw, such as fruits and vegetables, and the second specifically for cutting raw meat, poultry and fish.
Surfaces you use to chop your food may harbor bacteria including E. coli and Salmonella. Since plastic cutting boards have been easier to sanitize, they were often thought to be safer. That was until the 1980s when a University of California Davis researcher investigated and found although they are easier to sanitize, cutting often nicks the plastic, giving bacteria a place to hide.18
Wood may be tougher to sanitize, but it does not nick as easily. Further, when wood, plastic and stainless steel surfaces were compared, Campylobacter survived the longest on plastic.19
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends washing your cutting board in hot soapy water after each use and allowing it to completely air dry before putting it away. Bamboo cutting boards are harder and less porous than wood, absorb little moisture and resist scarring from knives. Importantly, replace your worn boards as they develop hard-to-clean grooves.20
Your kitchen sink is also likely to be a source of contamination. In one study, participants prepared breakfast using raw sausage, eggs and a fruit salad made with cantaloupe. After preparation, the kitchen sink was the surface most often contaminated, with 34% found as such. Perhaps as a result, 26% of the cut-up cantaloupe tested was also contaminated, as it may have been placed in the dirty sink for washing.21
Chicken Is Particularly Prone to Contamination
The types of food you bring into your home also play a role in contamination risk. Chicken from concentrated feeding operations (CAFO) continues to be among the most problematic foods, with about 1 in 25 packages of chicken at the grocery store contaminated with salmonella.22
In New Zealand, Michael Baker, a public health researcher and professor at University of Otago, is urging the implementation of a “tobacco-style” warning label on all raw chicken items, informing shoppers about the health risks involved. “It’s the most hazardous thing you can take into your kitchen,” he says.23
Recent studies have also conclusively demonstrated that a majority of urinary tract infections (UTIs) are actually caused by exposure to contaminated chicken.24 In short, it’s likely that UTI-causing E. coli may be introduced to your body from the food you eat, namely CAFO chicken, as well as pork and beef.
One study involved 2,460 chicken, pork and turkey samples purchased from large retail stores in Flagstaff, Arizona, nearly 80% of which were found to contain E. coli.25 The researchers also tested blood and urine samples from people who visited a major medical center in the area, finding E. coli in 72.4% of those diagnosed with a UTI.
Washing Your Hands May Help
To reduce your risk of cross-contamination in the kitchen, simple handwashing can be very effective. Research shows that people who attempted handwashing or completed more handwashing steps significantly reduced their risk of cross-contamination.26 Even washing hands for five to 8.99 seconds was associated with significantly reduced risk.
Given the findings of the featured study, you’ll also want to thoroughly wash your spice containers as well — and avoid handling them if you’ve just touched raw chicken. However, resist the urge to grab an antibacterial cleaner to do so, as such products contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. Instead, clean your kitchen using natural cleansers.
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Oregano oil is one such product that has natural antibacterial effects on human tissue and your kitchen counters. In one study,27 researchers found oregano oil is effective against three gram negative and two gram positive bacteria. Including oregano essential oil in your homemade cleaning products is simple, easy and an effective means of killing pathogens without putting your health at risk.
- 1, 26 American Journal of Infection Control November 2023, Volume 51, Issue 11, Supplement, A44-A57, Background
- 2, 4, 5 Journal of Food Protection November 2022, Volume 85, Issue 11, Pages 1594-1603
- 3, 7 Rutgers October 17, 2022
- 6 Journal of Food Protection November 2022, Volume 85, Issue 11, Pages 1594-1603, Discussion
- 8, 9, 10 BMC Public Health volume 20, Article number: 1322 (2020)
- 11 NPR September 11, 2017
- 12 Scientific Reports, 2017;7(5791)
- 13 NSF International, Household Germ Study
- 14, 15 J Appl Microbiol. 2022 Sep; 133(3): 1378–1391
- 16 USDA April 23, 2007
- 17 Michigan State University March 19, 2014
- 18 North Carolina State University, September 23, 2014
- 19 Foods. 2023 Sep; 12(17): 3245., Abstract
- 20 United States Department of Agriculture, Cutting Boards
- 21 USDA, The Kitchen Sink: An Overlooked Place for Food Safety
- 22 U.S. CDC, Chicken and Food Poisoning
- 23 Stuff.co.nz July 31, 2018
- 24 Wired July 11, 2012
- 25 mBio Aug 2018, 9 (4) e00470-18
- 27 Journal of Medicinal Food, 2013; 16(12):1115
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
