27.feb.07
Canton Repository (OH)
J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=338706
When it comes to motivating people to wash their produce before eating it, visuals, according to this story, seem to help.
Potatoes, for instance. No food safety argument is needed when dirt is that easy to see and feel. But how about tomatoes and apples, which arrive at the grocer flawless and shiny? And bananas and watermelons, the skins and rinds of which you'll never eat?
Getting people to wash those just takes a different sort of visual.
Ann Zander, a food safety expert with the Colorado State University Extension, was quoted as saying, "Probably 100 people handled that banana before you did. If you have somebody who hasn't washed his hands after the bathroom or has the flu, that's all over it."
The story says that the best way to wash your fruits and vegetables is:
n Wash everything. Virtually all produce should be washed at home just before it is eaten. Washing in advance can reduce shelf life and promote bacterial growth.
n No soap. Federal food safety officials say produce should not be washed with detergents, soaps or bleach, which are not approved for use on food and could make you sick. Though there are special produce washes, most experts say clean, cool running water is easier, more economical and just as effective.
n Use running water. Keep the produce under the water for 20 seconds.
n Match technique to type. Produce with tough, creviced surfaces, like root vegetables, needs aggressive cleaning, such as scrubbing with a brush. More easily bruised items should be held under cool running water and gently rubbed by hand.
n Wash the scrubber after each use. Tossing it in the dishwasher is the most effective way to eradicate bacteria.
n Some produce is more likely to need more thorough care. According to the Environmental Working Group, peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes have more pesticide residues than other produce.
