Calling Betteridge’s law: Are paper cups necessary for controlling pathogens

No.

Especially not if you’re looking to control the alphabetical triple play of hepatitis A, B and C (two of which are blood borne).

But a pastor in Sudbury, Ontario (that’s in Northern Canada, past Barrie) believes paper cups are more sanitary so he’s making the switch, according to CBC.

The Elgin Street Mission in Sudbury is switching to paper coffee cups to be more hygienic.

Pastor Rene Soulliere said for the past two weeks, they’ve been using biodegradable cups to ensure there is no spread of disease.Unknown-13

“We’re going to stick with those so that we can serve coffee and not worry,” he said.

“If there is hepatitis A, B or C, which is on the street a lot now, that contamination will not be on the cups.”

Soulliere said with the rise of diseases, such as hepatitis, it’s important to help stop the spread.
“You get a cup and you throw it away,” he said. “The other way, we’ve [got to] make sure they are properly washed every time and there is a possibility that … you miss one or two and somebody could get sick from it.”

Or invest in a dishwasher.

I’m not aware of dishware or cups being identified as vehicle for hep A. As the late, great Bill Keene said: stuff that food is put into, whether one-use or reusable, can facilitate norovirus transmission.

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About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.