Cleaning Fruits And Vegetables: How To Wash Them Well?

It is true that fruits and vegetables are the main carriers of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants for our diet. However, following our fears of contamination, our personal hygiene habits and in the kitchen have quadrupled. Unless you clean fruits and vegetables well before eating them, it has long been recommended that you clean a cutting board before starting any activity in the kitchen. Sharing our practice and our advice on good food hygiene!

Cleaning fruits and vegetables: what's special in the routine?

We're sure you'll say, "It's routine, can we beat the drums for such an ordinary thing as cleaning fruits and vegetables?" And you will be right, but not quite. Since bacteria and all kinds of microorganisms are part of our daily life, the possibility of getting sick from any infection depends on our immunity. It is created from birth and continues a long time later, even into adulthood. Surely, an important role in the formation of this immunity play the same bacteria and microbes accompanying our existence. However, one day, a pandemic of a certain virus hits the whole world and panic takes hold of our lives. So, understanding the functioning of the immune system becomes a duty for everyone.

On the one hand, panic is a good thing: it makes us suspicious, cautious and sharpens our senses. On the other hand, you should not be stressed and be afraid of contamination.

Even so, if the pandemic is still raging, we must take extraordinary measures to preserve our health and that of our loved ones. So cleaning up covid fruits and vegetables becomes a doubly important activity.

Is it sufficient to wash fresh fruits and vegetables in water?

Whether COVID-19 or another infection, the good habit of washing fresh fruits and vegetables well is to practice to minimize the ingestion of residues and potentially harmful germs.

Assuming that fresh produce is handled by many people before buying it at the grocery store or farmer's market, it is preferable that fruit and vegetable cleaning is carried out in a strict and rigorous manner. In addition, the hands that touched the fresh produce were not clean. With all of the people constantly engaged in production, transportation, and sales, it's also safe to assume that a large portion of fresh produce is a potential source of contamination. So washing fresh fruits and vegetables well before eating them can dramatically reduce any residue that can remain on them as they travel to your kitchen.

However, given the pandemic situation, many headlines have circulated in the media encouraging more abrasive ways of washing fresh produce before eating it, causing some people to question whether there is enough water. Our editorial staff contributed with the article on a homemade household cleaner. At the bottom, we'll go over the best washing practices, as well as the non-recommended methods.

Are there better ways to clean fruits and vegetables?

Some people advocate using soap, vinegar, lemon juice, or even commercial cleaners like bleach as an added measure. However, health and food safety experts strongly urge consumers not to follow this advice and stick to plain water. They reason that the use of these substances may present other health hazards and it is not necessary to remove the most harmful residues from the products. Ingesting commercial cleaning chemicals like bleach can be fatal and should never be used to clean food, but to clean your office and decrease the risk of contamination.

Additionally, substances such as lemon juice, vinegar, and detergents have not been shown to be more effective at cleaning products than plain water and may even leave additional deposits on food.

While some research has suggested that using neutral electrolyzed water or a baking soda bath may be even more effective at removing certain substances, the consensus remains that cool tap water is sufficient in most settings. case.

In short, the best way to wash fresh produce before eating it is with cool water. The use of other substances is largely unnecessary. Plus, they're often not as effective as water and gentle friction. Commercial cleaners should never be used on food.

How to wash fruits and vegetables with water

It is good health and food safety practice to wash fruits and vegetables in cold water before eating them. Note that fresh produce should only be washed immediately before consumption. Washing before storing can create an environment in which bacterial growth is more likely. Before you start washing fresh produce, wash your hands well with soap and water. Make sure all utensils, sinks, and surfaces you use to prepare your produce are also thoroughly cleaned first. Start by cutting off any bruised or visibly rotten areas of fresh produce. If you handle a fruit or vegetable that will be peeled, such as an orange, wash it before peeling it to prevent any surface bacteria from entering the flesh.

After washing, avoid recontaminating your food and dry it with a clean cloth towel or disposable paper towel to further reduce the risk of bacterial or viral transmission from a dirty surface on your ready-to-eat fruits or vegetables.

How to affect the different fruits and vegetables in washing?

Hard products: Fruits like apples, lemons and pears, as well as root vegetables like potatoes, carrots and turnips, can benefit from brushing with clean, soft bristles to better remove residue from their pores.

Leafy Greens: Spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard, leeks, and cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts and bok choy should have their outermost layer removed, then submerged in a bowl of cool water, shaken, drained and rinsed.

Delicate Products: Berries, mushrooms and other types of products that are more likely to fall apart can be cleaned with a constant stream of water and gentle friction using your fingers to remove dirt.

Once you have thoroughly rinsed your products, dry them with a clean paper or cloth towel. More fragile products can be spread on the towel and patted or rolled gently to dry them without damaging them.

Before consuming your fruits and vegetables, follow the simple steps above to minimize the amount of germs and substances that may be in them.

Clean vinegar fruits and vegetables

Since vinegar is a natural household product and popular in cleaning, you need to know how to make homemade apple cider vinegar.

1. First mix a solution of: 1 cup vinegar to 4 cups water inside your spray bottle.
2. Then add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Shake well to combine.
3. After putting the products in a colander at the sink, spray them with the prepared cleaner.

How to clean pesticide fruits and vegetables

Taking on pesticides is not a task to ignore. According to experts, washing fruits and vegetables with 2% salt water will remove most of the contact pesticide residue that is normally found on the surface. About 75 to 80% of pesticide residues are removed by washing in cold water.

Use chemicals: clean fruits and vegetables bleach

A recent report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that one in three adults uses chemicals and disinfectants unsafe in trying to protect themselves against the coronavirus.

Most alarming is the sharp increase in calls to poison control centers linked to exposures to cleaners and disinfectants since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Clean baking fruits and vegetables

One of the most effective methods is to prepare a solution of equal parts of baking soda and vinegar in a large utensil filled with hot water. Stir well and immerse your fruits and vegetables in this solution for about 20-30 minutes. Wash them after soaking.

What precautions for a pregnant woman: wash fruits and vegetables during pregnancy

Just rinse raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating or preparing them, especially fruits that need to be peeled or cut like cantaloupe and other melons. Bacteria can be found on the outer crust or the skin. Do not use soap, detergents or bleach solutions to wash products.

Wash fruits and vegetables soap

In an effort to provide a “shield” for your loved ones and for yourself, you have started to wash almost everything you bring in from the outside with soap. Recently a video boomed on the Internet where a private doctor practicing in Michigan advised people on how they could stay protected. Among other things, he recommended washing fruits and vegetables with soap and water. The video has gone viral and has over 16 million views. Asked about it, the doctor replied, “This is the most important part of the message: if you don't have to go out, don't. But if you have to, to get food, do it with caution."

Risk comparison

As the world battles the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital to implement proper food safety and handling protocol. Although the United States Food and Drug Administration says there is no evidence that food or its packaging is associated with the transmission of COVID-19, an estimated 48 million people (one in six) are affected by contaminated food every year. Although it is common knowledge that hands and surfaces should be washed thoroughly after handling poultry or meat, most do not realize that washing produce is just as important to avoid cross contamination and foodborne illness.

In the lines below, our write-up will zoom in on a few simple steps you can take to make sure your fruits and vegetables are as clean as possible before you consume them during this period of extra care and cleanliness.

É simple steps to avoid food poisoning

You should always practice these four key food safety steps to make sure your food is as safe as possible to eat: clean, separate, cook, and refrigerate. When preparing food, it is extremely important to always wash your hands for 20 seconds with lukewarm water and soap before AND after handling fresh produce.

1. Be sure to sanitize your workstation, knives, tools, and cutting board before you start cooking. Plus, keep produce, poultry, meat, seafood, and eggs separate while you cook to avoid cross-contamination.
2. In order to kill viruses and bacteria, cook food to the proper internal temperature and make sure to keep food out of the temperature danger zone (4˚ - 60˚C) for long periods of time.
3. Refrigerate and freeze foods properly within two hours of preparation to prevent the growth of potentially harmful pathogens.
4. It is mandatory to inspect your product for any damage and simply remove any rotten or damaged areas.
5. Eat only foods: dried, peeled, purified and packaged.
6. As for storage, choose a safe place that is well protected from ambient influence.