Chart: Supermarket trolleys are the dirtiest part of stores, Brits most likely to say

The data showed that when asked to rank the aspect of stores that they thought was least clean, the number one answer was trolleys with 31.6%. Understandably, the respondents to the survey were worried most about places where unclean hands might have been, given that self-service screens finished second with 18%, with baskets and the fresh produce section in third and fourth, respectively. 

Covid-19 marked the high point for hygiene caution in stores, and supermarkets, including Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco all gave shoppers items to clean their trolleys. A pre-Covid (2019) academic study on trolleys in the Canary Islands found that on trolleys, “total bacterial levels were far higher than those found in public restrooms and other public places”.

An investigation published by The Grocer last month found that 85 supermarkets across the country failed their most recent food hygiene safety inspection, including six that scored the lowest rating of zero. 

In spite of that, it seems that consumers are far more worried about the areas where other shoppers have touched than they are about the high-risk areas that supermarket staff look after like fresh food counters. 

“We asked people whether they think cheese and fish counters, bakery, self check-outs and manned check-outs all comply with hygiene regulations and a high percentage – between 70 and 75% for each – all believe that they do,” said Vypr founder Ben Davies. 

“Our insight shows there could be quick wins for supermarkets that will help strengthen customer loyalty and build a better reputation for cleanliness,” he adds, suggesting that one of these would be restoring cleaning materials to any stores that have removed them since the pandemic. 

Over a third (35%) of UK shoppers say they clean their trolley when they arrive in-store, while a further 28% say they do not do so only because there are no cleaning materials available. 

In one boost for supermarkets, shoppers think that they are typically much cleaner than their smaller convenience store cousins. When asked which has better cleanliness on the whole, 45.8% said supermarkets, while just 9.5% opted for convenience stores (the remainder could not decide between the two options).