Consumers see instant hand sanitisers as a quick, easy alternative to conventional hand washing, but prefer to use water and soap if possible, as they see this method as more effective.
This is according to a survey conducted for a new safefood report, prepared by Dr Moira Dean , Dr Antonio Foddai and Dr Irene Grant at the Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University, Belfast.
The study aimed to examine the efficacy of sanitisers in the removal of foodborne pathogens, including norovirus, compared to hand washing with soap and water, by conducting a thorough literature review.
It also sought to understand how often consumers use hand sanitisers and how efficient they perceive it as being in preventing foodborne illness.
Hand sanitisers are usually seen as effective in hospital and health-care settings, but their inability to remove food debris means they have not historically been used in food establishments.
Water and soap more effective
According to the report, the scientific evidence seems to support this scepticism in food settings, despite some conflicting results. Water and soap appear to remove more debris and bacterial load from hands than water-less products, and to be more effective in removing bacteria and viruses from fingernails, when used with a nailbrush.
“The ‘double-whammy’ of thorough handwashing and sanitiser use can get rid of more contamination from the hands,” says Moira. “But in the domestic setting, a thorough handwash for 20 seconds with scrubbing is effective.”
Furthermore, while the topic is controversial, it seems anti-bacterial soaps do not perform better than non antibacterial soaps. Alcohol-based products achieve rapid and effective inactivation of various bacteria, but their efficacy is limited against viruses and do not exceed 2-3 log10 bacterial inactivation on soiled hands.
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