Can you get food poisoning from your tea towel?
Once upon a time it was the good old chopping board that was the major culprit for bacteria in the kitchen. However, a new study has cited that the common tea towel is another breeding ground for harmful bacteria in your kitchen.
Tests on 100 cloth towels were performed by researchers at the University of Mauritius and collected the data from participants over a month.
The disturbing results found 49 out of the 100 samples contained bacterial growth, including E. Coli (Escherichia Coli) and MRSA (Staphylococcus Aureus).
The research also found that E. Coli was more likely to generate on damp tea towels that had been left to sit, while MRSA bacteria had higher rates of detection in households with non-vegetarian eaters (meat, poultry, seafood etc).
Lead author Dr Susheela D. Biranjia-Hurdoyal, a senior lecturer in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Mauritius, said: “The data indicated that unhygienic practices while handling non-vegetarian food could be common in the kitchen.”
It was also found that households comprising of large families and those of a lower socio-economic background were prone to having higher rates of bacteria on their tea towels.
“Humid towels and multipurpose usage of kitchen towels should be discouraged,” Dr Biranjia-Hurdoyal added.
“Bigger families with children and elderly members should be especially vigilant to hygiene in the kitchen.”
Symptoms of food poisoning include severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, minor headaches and fever.