You might want to think twice before reaching for the pepper shaker next time you’re out to dinner, but it’s not because you might offend the chef. According a study from ABC News, pepper shakers have an average bacteria count of 11,600, which was second highest next to restaurant menus– which carried an average of 185,000.
Researchers swabbed items on the tables of 12 restaurants in three states to get their findings: New York, Ohio, and Arizona. Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona says E. coli “loves to grow” on the top of pepper containers in restaurants– adding, “It’s a plant-based product. Maybe that has something to do with it.” To avoid issues you should bring your own pepper packets or skip the pepper in general.
