MONEY MATTERS WITH SHEILA--SUPERMARKET PRICING

Price check, aisle 2!

We all know that food is more expensive at convenience stores than in supermarkets, but did you know the same item might have multiple prices in a supermarket, depending on where it’s shelved?

The trend in supermarkets these days is to shelve the same item in several areas. For example, cheese is found both in the deli section and the dairy section. You can find nuts in the gourmet food section, the produce section, and the baking aisle. If you suddenly decide you’d like salsa with your chips but don’t want to walk all the way back to the condiments aisle, it’s convenient to be able to reach for a jar next to those chips. This added convenience can be costly, though. That salsa might be more expensive by the chips than the jar in the condiments section. Next time you go shopping, check the prices. You might find it worth your wallet to trek back a few aisles.

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--PAPER, PLASTIC, OR E COLI?

Health editor Janice Kerr has some important advice today for those of you who are bringing your own reusable shopping bags to the supermarket. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia! I’m sure many of our readers are thinking greener lately by choosing reusable bags over paper or plastic. We’re killing less trees and cutting down on landfill waste. In addition, most supermarkets and big box stores give you a certain amount of cash back for using your own bags, and those pennies and nickels add up over time.

So for all of you who bring your own bags, hooray for you! But how many of you wash those bags on a regular basis? How many of you have never thought about washing those bags? A recent study found that 97% of people the people surveyed who use reusable bags have never laundered them.

Shopping bags should be treated the same way you’d treat an food storage containers. You don’t put your Pyrex and Tupperware away without washing them, do you? The same should hold true for your shopping bags. Those bags are perfect breeding grounds for various food borne bacteria. One study showed that nearly half the bags tested contained coliform bacteria, including e coli and in quantities 10 to 20 times the amount found on the average toilet seat. Now that’s disgusting!

So how do you balance what’s good for the environment with what’s good for your health? Here are a few simple rules:

1. To prevent cross-contamination, always separate your items -- meats in one bag, produce in another, dairy in a third, cleaning products in a fourth, etc. Never place any raw foods in a bag that has carried meat products.

2. Never use reusable food bags for any other purposes such as carrying gym clothes, books, water bottles, laptops, etc.

3. Never store your reusable food bags in the trunk of your car. The higher temperatures are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

4. Wash your bags regularly in the washing machine, using bleach.

Excellent advice as always, Janice! Thanks for educating our readers.


Our Book Club Friday guest author this week is giving away a copy of one of her books. To be entered in the drawing, all you have to do is post a comment to the blog this week. -- AP