Farmers Market Packaging Question

[jasonD2]

I live in Decatur, GA and there is a huge farmers market that i frequently visit. They carry a bunch of non-gluten grains & flours that are prepackaged. I spoke to a store manager and she said everything arrives in big boxes and they are then transfered to small containers for sale. They use scooper's and she said they wipe them off with a paper towel. She couldnt really give me a clear answer about allergies or cross contamination - she said there has never been a problem. I'm not sure what to do...they carry a whole variety of non-gluten grains and flowers and are relatively inexpensive compared to the regular stores. any thoughts? its frustrating cause the majority of the workers at the market are foreign so its difficult for me to have the type of conversation I want.

[lpellegr]

Yes, the scoops could cause cross-contamination if all they do is wipe them off with a paper towel between grains. Even though buying in bulk from open bins seems like a good idea in terms of price, the risk of cross-contamination is too high. Customers could also put the wrong scoops in the wrong bin and you would never know.

[jasonD2]

oh no the customers arent the ones doing the scooping, its the staff. all thats available to the customers are the plastic containers

i bought a large container of Quinoa- if i gave it a good wash would that remove any gluten present?