The jury’s out on health risk fears

Our story last week about an appeal by a shopper to parents to NOT let their children stand inside supermarket trolleys because of the health risk provoked a flood of comments, some critical, many supportive. The concerned woman made a food hygiene compla

“If you are that worried about your food take a blanket, place that on the bottom of the trolley and place your food on that then wash the blanket every once in a while or after every shopping trip. Every child and every parent is different so do not judge other people.” “I’d rather my child stand in the trolley than throw a tantrum about not being able to stand in it. Don’t you think some adults do not wash their hands after having a poo and touch all the food in the supermarkets whilst shopping ...honestly get a life people. Again it’s health and safety gone stark raving mad.”

“It’s not just the children and their shoes, parents also put their scooters in the trolley which is just as bad.”

“I have started to only use the tiny trolleys because I do not see as many children in them as the larger ones. Or I use a basket – which is unhelpful when buying a weekly food shop. However, I dislike putting my food where children’s feet have been.”

“Children standing in trolleys is nothing new, neither does it happen only in Sainsbury’s. Until a child falls out or the trolley breaks with said child in it and compo is demanded, no store will run behind the adults trying to enforce sensible behaviour.”

“We don’t have this problem at Waitrose.”

“What do you think people wear on their feet when they pick the fruit and veg on farms?” “What about the fact that meat juices leak into trolleys. Rats wee up them when they are stored outside.”

“I am a parent, I personally have never let my children stand in a trolley. Firstly it is dangerous and secondly once they got too big to sit in the proper seated area they were big enough to walk properly round the shop.”

“While I agree that children’s shoes carry muck into trolleys, do these people not stop and think that a lot of supermarkets store the trolleys outside where birds, foxes, rats and all kinds of weather also contaminate the trolleys, kiddies shoes are probably the least of the problems.”

“Personally, I always take a bottle of disinfectant and a toothbrush with me when I go shopping and spend an hour or so cleaning my carefully selected trolley from bow to stern.”

“Lazy parents put their children of all ages in the food part of the trolley because they can’t be bothered to teach their children how to behave.”

“I think you will find most trolleys have signage to the effect that children are not to stand in trolleys. However supermarket staff need to reinforce this rule, as ignoring it is supporting this behaviour.”

“This is no different to all the dirt/poo/ urine/snot you’ll probably find traces of on the trolley handle. Quite often I see people picking their noses or men having a rummage down their pants and then continue to push their trollies. Yuk, yuk, yuk.”

“Whilst this is a concern both from a safety of children point of view and health issue of transfer of contaminants from shoes I would conjecture that there is far more danger from people using the toilets and then not washing their hands thoroughly before selecting their vegetables and fruit.”

“Yes, it’s gross. Unless the parents would be happy for me to walk through a pig farm and store my boots in their fridge, they should recognise what’s wrong with it and instill some discipline into their ghastly little sprogs. Kids that age should be able to go shopping without clambering over trolleys, running around, screeching and generally being stupid and irritating to everyone else.