My perennial pet peeve - consumers who grub about in fruit and vegetable containers and displays with dirty, germ infested hands.
By the time someone buys the produce s/he has to cut away the disease laden fingernail holes and the rotten spots caused by thumb and finger pressure. That is money in the trash can or compost bin, and that is not what I signed on for.
But if only it stopped there.
My first visit to Starsky in Mississauga just after the store opened was also my last. As I wandered through the bulk area I saw a man open the lid to a tub of fresh, grated pickle mix and dip in his fingers. After munching through the treat he proceeded to stick those fingers right back into the mix and start all over again. A nearby shop assistant did nothing to stop him. I dropped my basked where I stood and left the store.
Down the road from me is a small independent bulk dealer whom I also visited - once.
As I browsed the bins the owner/manager stooped and picked up a collection of peanuts which had fallen onto the floor. Instead of throwing away the peanuts the owner/manager opened the lid to the container and popped them right back in.
I made a conscious decision after these two incidents to buy nothing edible from bulk containers. If it is not wrapped and sealed it does not go into my cart.
We have regulations for growing, producing and selling food products but we have no regulations in place to protect ourselves against each other.
As much as I hate layers of bureaucracy I really think it is time that vendors were given the authority to put up signs saying, "If you touch you buy."
Equally, we need to rethink bulk food bins. In a perfect world where people care about hygiene and respect each other these bins are ideal. However ...
In the northern hemisphere we are entering the cold and flu season and it may be a good idea to take stock of where you buy and what you buy. For me it is mostly buy local, buy small producer and buy directly from the food source.
