3 Mistakes You Might Be Making When Cleaning Fruits and Vegetables
Here’s how to do it right.
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Fruits and vegetables are critical to a healthy diet, but they also grow in and around dirt, which makes cleaning them properly before eating important for food safety. But what does properly cleaning produce entail, exactly? Here are some common mistakes you might be making, and how you should actually be washing your fruits and vegetables.
Mistake: Using Produce Spray or Soap to Clean Your Fruits and Vegetables
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and FoodSafety.gov (a federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services), washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Soap or detergent residues can stay on produce. The FDA has not evaluated the safety of residues left from soaps and detergents if ingested. In addition, it is not recommended to use bleach solutions or other disinfecting products on fruits and vegetables.
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Mistake: Cleaning Pre-Washed Produce
Many pre-cut, bagged or packaged fruit and vegetables are pre-washed and ready to eat. This will be written on the package and you can use the contents without any further washing — the guidelines used in the packaging facilities are extremely stringent. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does not recommend washing “pre-washed” produce again at home. If you do wash the produce, you actually have a greater chance of contaminating it from your own sink.
Mistake: Using Diluted Bleach to Destroy Any Germs on Fresh Produce
Bleach can destroy harmful microorganisms, but it should not be ingested. According to FoodSafety.gov using bleach or detergents to clean fruits and vegetables can make you sick if you swallow the chemicals. It’s always important to rinse fresh fruits and vegetables before you eat them, but produce is porous, so soap and other disinfectants may be absorbed by them even with thorough rinsing.
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How to Properly Wash Your Produce
The Partnership for Food Safety Education recommends cleaning produce properly by gently running it under cold running water.
The CDC gives even more detail regarding washing fresh produce. It recommends cleaning fruits and vegetables before eating, cutting or cooking unless the package says the produce has been pre-washed (like packaged triple washed baby spinach). It also says to cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating. To dry fruits and vegetables, use a clean paper towel.
If you’re working with something like spinach, lettuce or other leafy greens which can come with a lot of dirt, place the produce in a large bowl of cold water, swish it around to remove the grit, lift it out and drain in a colander. Be sure not to dump the gritty water back onto the food; try setting the colander inside the bowl so you can easily lift the leaves out. If there is still grit left on the food, then repeat the process.
Do You Need To Scrub Fruits and Vegetables?
According to The Partnership for Food Safety Education, if your produce has a tough exterior, like melon or pineapple, use a clean stiff bristled brush under running water to clean off any dirt that may be in any grooves. The CDC also recommends scrubbing produce with a tough exterior under running water even if you won’t be eating the peel as dirt or germs on the skin can get inside the fruits and vegetables when you cut them.
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