Soap-shy teens face food poisoning risk

Citation

(2003), "Soap-shy teens face food poisoning risk", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 33 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2003.01733fab.007

Soap-shy teens face food poisoning risk

Soap-shy teens face food poisoning risk

Nearly half (45 per cent) of teenage schoolchildren do not always wash their hands after a visit to the school toilet or before eating, putting themselves at risk of a nasty dose of food poisoning. It is estimated that there could be as many as 5.5 million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year.

A new survey by the Food and Drink Federation, organisers of the 11th Foodlink National Food Safety Week (9-15 June), reveals that teenagers really do need to clean up their act.

Even amongst those that do wash their hands, almost half (40 per cent) don’t use soap. Three-quarters (76 per cent) admit to drying their hands on their clothes if in a hurry, probably unaware that 1,000 times as many germs spread from damp hands than dry hands.

More than half (57 per cent) of those surveyed admit to not always washing their hands before lunch at school. Of these, more than two-thirds eat a lunchtime meal with their hands, e.g. packed lunch or burger and chips.

When asked why they didn’t wash their hands:

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  one in four (24 per cent) said they didn’t have time;

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  one in four (26 per cent) said it was because the toilets were smelly and the facilities dirty; and

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  more than one in five (22 per cent) forgot.

Food and Drink Federation, Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JJ. Tel: 020 7836 2460; Fax: 020 7836 0580; Web: www.fdf.org.uk