New research from Safefood, Ireland’s food safety regulator, indicates that approximately a third of home cooks in Ireland do not wash their hands after handling raw chicken and then go on to touch their mobile phones or tablets. This lack of hand hygiene endangers food safety as harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli can survive on smart device screens for over a day.
The study examined hygiene practices relating to smartphone or tablet use in home kitchens and found that the average cook touch their device around six times during meal preparation. The participants were observed preparing meals involving raw poultry and eggs and it turned out that one in three didn’t clean their hands post handling raw chicken and prior to handling a smart device. An even higher number, 74 percent, didn’t practice hand hygiene after handling raw eggs before touching their smart device.
To test for the presence of food poisoning bacteria, the hands and personal devices of participants were swabbed after cooking. The results showed that about 6 percent of previously clean smart devices were found to have potential food-poisoning bacteria on them.
Trish Twohig, Safefood’s director of food safety, remarked that as smartphones and tablets have become crucial kitchen aids for many, from sourcing recipes to streaming cooking tutorials or sharing moments on social media, users should be knowledgeable about possible food safety hazards.
Dr Mairead McCann, the Technical Executive at Safefood, added to this saying that this research serves to remind home cooks of the potential risks posed by smart devices in the kitchen and the need for maintaining good food safety at home. She suggested that adhering to proper handwashing, and regular cleaning and disinfecting of smart devices can help mitigate cross-contamination risks during cooking and device use.
Safefood recommends always washing hands before, after and between handling food and a smart device. It also recommends thorough cleaning of surfaces, especially if a smart device is being used during cooking as placement on a dirty kitchen bench could spread harmful bacteria. Home cooks were also encouraged to disinfect their smart devices before and after cooking.
The use of antibacterial wipes with a minimum of 70 percent alcohol was recommended for effectively cutting down contamination on smart device surfaces, with extra attention to screens, buttons, and edges.