Consumer Advocates Call Attention to Microbes on Grocery Checkstand Belts
A consumer advocacy organization has launched a campaign to put conveyor belts at supermarket checkout stands under the microscope — literally. Called Good Armor, the group recently issued a press release referring to the checkstand belts as "bacteria-infested," noting that "shoppers place billions of products on these contaminated belts each year, exposing foods to potentially harmful yeasts, molds, and coliform bacteria."
In the Good Armor release, executive director Marc Dorfman said, "Recent studies by a Michigan State University scientist show that these black conveyor belts are among the dirtiest surfaces in your local grocery store, and a breeding ground for unwanted microorganisms.”