We're doing a really bad job of washing our hands, say government scientists

After watching people prepare turkey burgers and salads in a variety of different kitchens, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers concluded that hand cleansing etiquette in America is pathetic.

A government report released on June 28 found study participants in kitchens where they were actively being watched failed to properly wash their hands 97 percent of the time.

This is especially poor cleaning behavior for the kitchen, where microbes can easily cross-contaminate food with the help of our hands.

"You can’t see, smell or feel bacteria. By simply washing your hands properly, you can protect your family and prevent that bacteria from contaminating your food and key areas in your kitchen," Carmen Rottenberg, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at USDA, said in a statement.

But because hand washing is often done hastily, or not at all, it's little surprise that food poisoning is common in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48 million people are hit with food illnesses each year. Some 128,000 are hospitalized, and around 3,000 die.

Government researchers watched over 380 people prepare food in six separate "test kitchen facilities" located in both urban Raleigh–Durham, North Carolina area and the rural Smithfield, North Carolina. About half of the participants watched a three-minute video before preparing food.

But the video was not about washing hands. It was about how to use a cooking thermometer correctly -- the type you sink into a turkey. This gave researchers a chance to see how people might normally wash their hands, without being prompted beforehand. (Thermometer use in the kitchen increased, however.)

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"Among attempted handwashing events, very few included all steps necessary to be considered an adequate handwashing event," reads the report.

In over 1,000 "attempted handwashing events" the most frequent cleansing error -- made around 80 percent of the time -- was a failure to wash one's hands long enough with soap, for 20 seconds. Over 40 percent of the time people didn't bother to wet their hands at all.

Accordingly, nearly half of the spice containers used by study participants in the control group (who did not watch the thermometer video) were contaminated. This data for the other half of the participants is not included in the study, though the results are still "preliminary," so perhaps there's more to come.

But to conclude, the USDA says to wash your hands for 20 seconds, with warm water and soap, to kill off (most) harmful microbes. If not for yourself, perhaps try it for others.