With a Side of Bacteria: An Unexpected Addition to the Menu
Naturally, most of us will refuse to eat at a restaurant table that has not been cleaned. We want to sit back and relax in the comfortable knowledge that any germs have been mopped up before we tuck in.
But how many times have you refused to pick up the menu? I expect not too many…
NewsChannel3 have teamed up with researchers at the University of Memphis School of Public Health to investigate the bacteria found on commonly touched surfaces.
Shockingly, restaurant menus were found to have the highest levels of bacterial load, second only to ATM machines.
This is not the nicest thought when you consider that the menu is usually the last thing you touch before eating. The Bowling Green State University found that 83% of restaurant menus were contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria including Staph aureus and E. coli: species that can cause severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Not something you would generally choose from the menu I’m sure.
Keeping it clean?
A study by the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University found that the hygienic status of menus is often overlooked as they are not commonly considered to be `food-contact` surfaces.
In many restaurants their menus went days, even weeks, without being cleaned and, perhaps unsurprisingly, menus that were left on tables were found to be worst affected by bacterial contamination.
Results of the study suggested that the most hygienic menus were handed out only when ordering food and were cleaned after every shift.
But that is not very reassuring if, like many of us, you enjoy a late-evening meal and end up receiving a menu in serious need of a clean.
The smart addition to your menu
What if there was something that could protect your menu no matter what time of the day you choose to eat?
Well, some good news, there is!
When incorporated into a menu, Biomaster silver-ion technology provides round the clock surface protection by inhibiting the growth of bacteria that land on the menu.
Biomaster’s active antimicrobial agent is entirely safe and prevents bacteria from producing energy or replicating. Therefore, potentially harmful bacteria are unable to survive.
Why not find out more about our Biomaster technology for paper and board?
Contact us to find out how we can incorporate Biomaster into the manufacture of your restaurant menus.
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