Ark. eyeing sanitary shopping carts

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Officials in Arkansas are considering a proposal to require grocery stores to provide shopping cart users with sanitary wipes.

The proposal by state lawmaker Fred Allen has passed both legislative houses and is awaiting a signature by Gov. Mike Beebe, The New York Times said.

If signed into law, the proposal would make Arkansas the first state to regulate the cleanliness of grocery carts, the newspaper said.

"The majority of the people don't realize the amount of germs and bacteria on shopping carts," Allen said.

A study by the University of Arizona in 1999 found that shopping carts ranked high among the dirtiest of public surfaces.

The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services would be in charge of creating specific guidelines if the bill becomes law.