Dining out is one of life’s pleasures, and we’re not here to ruin it for you–but there’s one thing you might want to reconsider next time you go out to eat: using the ketchup there, because it’s actually really gross.
Yes, whenever you’re in public, you are exposed to a certain amount of germs. That’s a normal part of life. But when food is involved, you can never be too careful. Eating food that might be contaminated with a stranger’s germs is where most of us draw the line. And hence, why you might want to give that condiment a second thought.
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It has been reported that restaurants combine ketchup bottles to save money. Which might sound innocuous enough, but the truth is that when you're dealing with the general population, sometimes hundreds of people per service, you're talking about cross-contamination of germs. Just think: if just one person puts a utensil they've used to mouth of the ketchup bottle, not only is that bottle contaminated, but then multiply that contamination every time the restaurant combines it with another bottle. It's not technically against health code, but it's still really gross.
Southern Living also points out that condiment containers likely haven't been cleaned in ages, making them as dirty (if not more) than door knobs or booster seats. Eek!
Not to mention that it's not very good for you. Store-bought ketchup contains sugar, high fructose corn syrup and salt... it's a double edged sword of too much sugar AND too much salt. One irate writer at Thrillist writes, "It’s flat-out terrible for you."
Can't live without your favorite condiment? Consider dining at restaurants that serve either ketchup packets or those single-serve ketchup containers where you break the seal at every use. Another option is to bring your own ketchup from home (I know you've got a drawer at home just dedicated to take-out packets). Either way, you'll be minimizing your exposure to thy neighbor's germs!
READ MORE: The Scary Reason Why You Should NEVER Add Milk To Your Coffee
