Posted on 11/28/2018 4:02:40 PM PST by Rebelbase
A report said that fecal matter was discovered on every McDonald’s self-service touchscreen swabbed during an investigation in the United Kingdom.
Samples were taken at six McDonald’s locations in London and two in Birmingham. The samples all revealed a contamination of coliforms, which are found in human fecal matter.
“We were all surprised how much gut and fecal bacteria there was on the touchscreen machines. These cause the kind of infections that people pick up in hospitals,” said London Metropolitan University Dr. Paul Matawele, according to The Metro.
“For instance Enterococcus faecalis is part of the flora of gastrointestinal tracts of healthy humans and other mammals. It is notorious in hospitals for causing hospital-acquired infections,” he stated.
Customers first choose their food on the screens before heading to the front to pick up their meals. Often times, they don’t wash their hands or wipe them down with hand sanitizer, the report suggested.
At one branch, a screen was found to have Staphylococcus, or staph. According to the U.S. Food Safety website, some strains can “cause food poisoning when a food handler contaminates food and then the food is not properly refrigerated. Other sources of food contamination include the equipment and surfaces on which food is prepared.”
Matawele told the paper: “Seeing Staphylococcus on these machines is worrying because it is so contagious. It starts around people’s noses, if they touch their nose with their fingers and then transfer it to the touchscreen someone else will get it, and if they have an open cut which it gets into, then it can be dangerous.”
He noted that there are fears about Staphylococcus becoming more resistant to antibiotics.
“However, it is still really dangerous in places like Africa where it can cause toxic shock,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...
Bet those screens are no safer in the US. Health departments should probably shut them down.
Additional sources. Liked the title on the one I used.
Same as my TV screen if CNN is on.
Yuk. We went to a Mc Donald’s in Austria because it was Sunday and there was nowhere else to eat. Touchscreen and beer.
I have anti-bacterial gel that I keep in my cars.
These days, I wash my hands a lot. Especially when preparing food.
Everything I get from the grocery store is rinsed and wiped with a towel. For what little that may be worth.
No complaints, because healthcare is free!
Not sure it matters which hand they use on the touch screen, all they have to do put their hands together once without washing.
People don’t wash their hands in Europe, either, eh?
Sounds about right. Go in take a leak/ dump head to the screen, order you grub and head on out to the next McD’s
Because non muslim kids there wash so thoroughly.
Besides I thought the theory here was that None of them want to work.
Grocery carts are a huge concern. Chilun pick up germs at school and then help mommy push the carts. All is fun!
How do customers open the doors there?
Same thing was found on pay phones back in the day. Somehow we all survived, despite using pay phones often without washing our hands.
Bacteria and viruses are everywhere.
Eeewwwwww…
But let’s be intelligent here. What OTHER surfaces have they examined?
I’d contend that more than JUST touchscreens, and more than JUST McDonalds, would show similar results.
In fact, if they find fecal matter there, then there’s fecal matter EVERYWHERE.
Think about the buttons on the machines that sell cokes, candy, subway tickets, lottery tickets, gas station pumps that require your zip code when using a credit card, the touchscreens at Walmart’s self checkout, the hand rails on stairs in public buildings... You name it. Probably all have fecal matter on them.
The only way to avoid it is to always wear gloves, or be like Howard Hughes and don’t touch ANYTHING.
Did they check ATM’s too?
“A report said that fecal matter was discovered on every McDonald’s self-service touchscreen swabbed during an investigation in the United Kingdom.”
That’s nothing. You should see what’s on the hamburger bun.
I always grab those wipes (if they have them - which is about 3/4 of the time).
Saw too many guys using the restroom and walking right out many years ago.
I didn’t do a count but it seemed like 40%-50%.
I actually know a guy who brags, yes brags, that he does not wash his hands after going to the restroom. THAT boggles my mind.
No, I’ve NEVER shaken his hand, lol.
People carry their own dirty grocery bags into a store and throw them on the counter. Imagine what’s on those bags.
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