This Grocery Store Bakery Habit Is Both Unsanitary And Way Too Common

There's nothing more tempting than the self-serve bakery section at the grocery store, particularly if you're hankering for a snack while shopping. Fresh pastries, donuts, and cookies beckon from the shelves, but there's one mistake at the bakery counter that often causes concern from frustrated grocery workers and customers. The heinous crime? Touching multiple baked goods with your grubby bare hands before selecting one. 

The problem is pretty straightforward. These cases almost always have tongs, deli napkins, or gloves so that customers can avoid touching other pastries as they go in to grab a dinner roll. When someone reaches in to squeeze an eclair or poke a jelly donut, they're potentially transferring viruses, bacteria, and other kinds of microscopic dirt onto foods that are eaten fresh. And this isn't just us being germaphobes. Public health experts frequently call out hands as the most common vehicle for spreading germs — and most of us aren't even washing our hands properly. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80% of infections are transferred by our dirty paws. That's a whole lotta germs potentially being spread on those blueberry scones.

A quick peek online reveals that grocery employees see this kind of germy behavior all day, every day. One Reddit user writes: "Just stand next to a bakery shelf for 10 minutes. You'll never want to eat anything from there again. I especially love the customers who first touch every roll with their hands to feel which ones are still warm."

For many shoppers, touching ready-to-eat foods with bare hands violates one of our most sacred social contracts. The disgust factor is further amplified by fear of the unknown. Shoppers have no way of knowing if the previous pastry-poker had just sneezed, used their cellphone, or come from the restroom. Even if the actual health risk from a couple of finger grazes is relatively low, the suggestion of contamination is enough to turn anyone off. A bakery case covered in sticky fingerprints is definitely a red flag for customers cruising for a clean cookie.

That said, not everyone feels this way. There are some online commenters who insist these concerns are exaggerated. One Reddit user explained it this way: "Because I'm going to eat what I'm picking up? Not like I'm touching anything else." In the same thread, others passed the blame onto the tongs: "Sometimes the tongs have other ingredients on them which I don't want to transfer to my item, like cheese, red peppers, icing. Sometimes the handle of the tongs has food or something else gross stuck to it." 

Some also argue that briefly touching a grocery store bakery donut is akin to handling fresh produce before buying it, but that in itself is a polarizing practice. Ultimately, most grocery shoppers seem to agree on one point: If tongs, gloves, or bakery tissue are available, use them. Though it might seem trivial, those pokes and prods on your favorite pastry really add up throughout the day.