Photo: Wikimedia Commons
My mom always said fast-food joints serve crap, and now there’s proof: A study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology revealed there is actual fecal matter lurking in fast food soda. Microbiologists from Virginia found that 48% of sodas tested at 30 fast food restaurants contained coliform bacteria, which is typically fecal in origin. What’s worse is that most of the bacteria found were antibiotic resistant. From the study:
These findings suggest that soda fountain machines may harbor persistent communities of potentially pathogenic microorganisms which may contribute to episodic gastric distress in the general population and could pose a more significant health risk to immunocompromised individuals.
Not to worry. Surely the poor, minorities, and children who are targeted by (and who statistically frequent) fast food chains most often will have no problem tackling high medical costs associated with recovering from fast food-borne pathogens. Right?
h/t Tom Laskawy’s Beyond Green blog
