Winn-Dixie grabs hold of germ-free shopping carts

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Ever grab a shopping cart and think about the hundreds of hands and millions of germs that have touched it? Winn-Dixie Stores has, and the company announced that it recently signed an exclusive agreement with Green Secure Solutions Inc. to use its patent-pending process to clean, sanitize and protect shopping carts, hand baskets, handicap carts, food trays and other equipment at the grocer’s 484 stores.

“This service protects our customers’ health by using an environmentally safe product that continues to kill bacteria and other microorganisms for six months between treatments,” said Mary Kellmanson, Winn-Dixie groupVP marketing. “Green Secure Solutions has serviced every one of our stores and now they are beginning a second round of treatments, creating an invisible shield that provides additional protection for our customers and the food they’re buying.”

According to the company, Green Secure Solutions sanitizes equipment in their mobile units by usinga high-temperature, pressurized shower sterilized with hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light. Once the carts are dry, technicians from the Pompano Beach, Fla.-based company electrostatically apply Bioshield 75, an award-winning, water-based product that creates a highly durable coating that bonds to surfaces on which it is applied.

“Our system is the most advanced and environmentally safe technology available. There is no harmful waste water or chemicals running through a parking lot or getting into a storm sewer. Everything is self-contained in our mobile units,” said Max Ozgercin, Green Secure Solutions’ CEO. “We’re pleased that our service provides Winn-Dixie customers a difference in their lives.”