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Along with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, summertime always brings
concern over their safety. Some Consumers are concerned about the potential for E. coli,
salmonella or other bacteria poisoning. Others fear the effects of pesticide residues left on
produce.
What can you do to protect yourself and your family? The answer is simple: Give
produce a thorough washing in cold, drinkable water.
The American Institute for Cancer Research reports that eating lots of fruits and
vegetables far outweighs any potential risks from low-level pesticide residues on the produce.
Each year, the FDA tests about 20,000 shipments of domestic and imported foods for pesticide
residues. But the FDA is not able to test every shipment, so educating the Consumer not only is
important -- it's downright smart!
Here is something to think about: An average of four strangers handled your apple before
you chose it and up to 20 may have handled your tomato.
The following steps, which you can take, will limit the amount of pesticide residues you
eat.
- Buy fresh vegetables and fruits in season. When long storage and long-distance
shipping are not required, fewer pesticides are used.
- rim tops and the very outer portions of celery, lettuce, cabbages and other leafy
vegetables that may contain the bulk of pesticide residues.
- Peel and cook when appropriate, even though some nutrients and fiber are lost in the
process.
- Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. This would limit exposure to any one type
of pesticide residue.
- Purchase only fruits and vegetables that are subject to USDA regulations. Produce
imported from other countries is not grown under the same regulations as enforced by the USDA.
Examples are strawberries and cantaloupes from Mexico.
- Wait until just before preparation to wash or immerse your produce in clean drinking
water. When appropriate, scrub with a brush. Experts at the University of California-Berkeley
report that this removes nearly all insects and dirt, as well as bacteria and some pesticide
residues. Special soaps or washes are not needed and could be harmful to you depending on their
ingredients. Read the label!
Consumers be aware: Fruit and vegetable washes are appearing in supermarket shelves.
While these products are safe to use, nothing indicates that they are any more effective than using
cold water and a vegetable brush -- when a brush is appropriate. (You wouldn't, for example, use
a brush on tomatoes and strawberries.) So, you just might be spending more money than you
need to.
Dr. Peter Snyder, Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management, reports that
Proctor and Gamble tried to get its new vegetable washing chemical written into the food
protection code, but this did not happen. Proctor and Gamble has said that their product will give
a 90 percent reduction of bacteria on fruits and vegetables in a sink filled with five gallons of
water.
This is a "nothing claim." You get the same reduction by washing vegetables in plain
water. If you wash twice in plain water, you get about a 100 to 1 reduction. The bacteria is
simply removed from the produce and diluted within the water -- no matter which method you
use.
In some supermarkets, you will find washes that Consumers are instructed to spray onto
the fresh produce before sampling the item -- strawberries and grapes, for example. If you do
sample produce, it's better to use the fruit and vegetable washes that are provided, rather than
sampling the produce untreated.
"If water cleans, then soap and water should clean better." Doug Holt, food safety
specialist at the University of Missouri, says that "while it makes sense that mild detergent will
help remove residues, it also becomes difficult to remove the detergent residues from the surface
of fruits and vegetables." Neither the USDA nor the FDA recommends washing fruits and
vegetables with anything other than cold, drinkable water. Dish soaps have not been approved as
a food item and any soapy residue left on the produce can cause diarrhea. Another problem with
dish soaps is that most are antibacterial and scented, thus adding other residues that would be left
on the produce.
Even fruits or vegetables that are sold in their peels need to be washed well. Consider
this: Take a banana or orange from a bowl of fruit. You don't know if it has been sneezed on or
rolled on the floor or what might have happened to it before it showed up in your kitchen. You
peel it and eat pieces with your hands. Even if the hands are clean to begin with, after touching
the dirty fruit peel, whatever contaminants -- dirt or microorganisms -- that were on the outside
of it are now on your hands.
Consider another scenario. Slice a chunk of watermelon. If disease-causing bacteria are
on the outside of the melon, they easily can enter the fruit via the knife blade if the outside of the
melon hasn't been washed.
Other tips for safely handling fruits and vegetables:
- Purchase fresh-looking produce. Don't buy any that is bruised, shriveled, moldy or
slimy. It's a waste of money to buy produce affected by decay. Even if you do trim off the
decayed area, rapid deterioration likely will spread to the salvaged area. Paying a few cents extra
for produce in good condition is a good investment.
- Buy only what you can use within a few days. Most fresh vegetables can be stored for
two to five days, except for root vegetables, which can be stored for up to several weeks.
- Clean out your refrigerator crisper bin once a week and discard any moldy, slimy items.
- Don't drink unpasteurized apple juice or cider.
- It's nice to choose pineapple or a citrus fruit when making a mixed-fruit salad. Some
other fruits brown very quickly. If you do use other fruits, sprinkle them with fresh lemon juice
to give the salad a fresh appearance for a longer time.
For more information, contact Ann Zander, Colorado State University Extension in Boulder County at (303) 776-4865 or e-mail at: aczpa@co.boulder.co.us She will
send you copies of "How to Buy Fresh Vegetables," "2000 Colorado Farm Fresh Directory
(internet address is www.ag.state.co.us). You also can receive Questions about Pesticides in
Food," "Food Safety for Farmers and Market Vendors" and "Selling Food Products: A
Business from your Home." A shipping and handling fee will be charged for the items that are
mailed. Or contact your local
Colorado State University Extension office.
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