Don't Make This Mistake When Buying Groceries At Bulk Stores

While you're shopping at bulk stores like Costco, you might find bulk bins of loose foods that you can scoop into your own containers. These bins can be great, since they help us cut down on waste, not to mention they give you an excuse to use any of the cute food storage containers you've been collecting at home. But they're also a potential pitfall to making a common grocery store mistake, so take care when you reach for that scoop.

When pulling something from a bin at a bulk grocery store, never use the same scoop in different bins. In other words, only use the dedicated scoop for each individual item. Doing otherwise invites cross-contamination, which in turn skirts dangerously close to triggering someone's food allergy. Consider that many of these items are various types of nuts or foods containing gluten, so if you scoop peanuts and then use the same scoop for chocolate chips, for example, you risk giving someone else an allergic reaction.

In addition, this practice of mixing up scoops is just generally unsanitary. These items sit out for long periods of time, and even in the most expensive grocery store in the U.S., surely not everything can be spic and span every second of the day. Some items might not sell fast enough to stay fresh for long periods of time, the bins can attract small pests, and some customers may even use their hands to scoop things instead of the actual scoop (you, of course, know better). The last thing you want to do is to spread allergens or germs between those bins.

If there are obvious signs that someone has used a scoop for an item it's not meant for, alert an employee so that they can sanitize it right away. If you're shopping for snacks at Trader Joe's in the bulk bin section and see that there's a stray peanut in the scoop for plantain chips, don't delay. Telling someone might literally save another person's life in the event of cross-contamination, so if you see something, say something.

In the same vein, if you see someone else use the same scoop for two different items firsthand, tell an employee once they're done. The same goes for if you do it yourself in a moment of absentmindedness. And of course, if you yourself have an allergy or health condition that requires you to avoid certain foods, take great care with the bulk bins. Don't use them if you notice anything amiss. If you're dealing with serious allergies, it may be best to just avoid them altogether to be absolutely sure there's no possibility of cross-contamination.