# Ok to eat off the cafeteria tray?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-to-eat-off-the-cafeteria-tray/204376>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 28, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-to-eat-off-the-cafeteria-tray/204376 "2003-09-28T22:50:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![runcible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@runcible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-to-eat-off-the-cafeteria-tray/204376/1 "2003-09-28T22:50:46Z")

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I know, I know, it seems bad, but hear me out - what we’ve got here is a whole 'nother surface, it’s put in the washer just like anything else - so why not use it? I mean, it does give the friendly cafeteria people less stuff to wash. So, what I want to know is - is there some hygenic benefit to using plates, or are we all just taken up by the evil utensil conspiracy?