Employees Raising Stink About Office Refrigerators

By Mindy Mizell, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Taking your lunch to work might sound like a great way to save money, but it may not great for your health. You may want to think twice before eating anything that was inside your office fridge.

At the Magic 104.1 radio studios the magic ends at the office fridge.

"As you can tell the fridge hasn't been cleaned very often, as you can tell by the mold around the edge of it. That's a good sign,"Magic 104.1 radio personality Shawn Carey said.

Inside isn't much better. The yogurt is five months old and the barbeque sauce has been there for years.

Across the board workplace refrigerators have taken a turn for the worse. A new study conducted by the American Diabetic Association reveals 44 percent of workplace refrigerators are now being cleaned out only once a month. One in five office fridges go a full year. But, it's actually the poor economy that could really be stinking things up.

Nutritionists show 70 percent of us are now taking our lunch to work to save money, which means the office fridge has never been more full, but they worry it's never been more gross.

Nutritionist Lisa Veazey worries an office fridge that's chock full is also chock full of problems.

"There's all kinds of different food particles, bacteria," Veazey said.

She recommends writing the date on your leftovers or packing your lunch in a sealed container with its own cooler inside. That could keep you from even needing to use that office fridge altogether.