Wash Thoroughly: Fruits & Veggies from Across Globe Could Pose New Dangers

In the 1970s we were a net exporter of fruits and vegetables, but today we are a net importer. We can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables from around the globe in our stores nowadays and seasonality is much less of a factor.

How big is the market? The USDA reported fresh and frozen fruit imports in 2022 totaled $19.3 billion, up 10 percent from 2021. We importer fresh vegetables totaling $11.8 billion, also up 10 percent from 2021.

All this produce from afar flooding into our store shelves, may be why the CDC warns that it is more important than ever to thoroughly wash all produce before consumption, even those with skins on them. And don’t presume pre-cut fruits in a basket have been pre-washed.

Giving fresh fruits and veggies a good pre-dinner wash is a health measure that may prevent potentially serious gastric upset triggered by bacteria living on the surfaces of these otherwise nutritious treats.

Once upon a time, warnings such as this were reserved for people traveling to certain tropical countries. Today, a booming international trade in produce plus increasingly potent food-born borne pathogens may bring trouble home to you own table. Sometimes twice. For example, back in May 2001 the Food and Drug Administration warned us to avoid cantaloupe from Mexico blamed for two salmonella-related deaths and numerous illnesses in 14 states. Last November, it happened again when The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) listed more than 200 Americans in 38 States falling ill after eating pre-cut cantaloupe chunks

How to keep fresh food safer?

CDC says, start at the store. On your way to the produce section, grab a handful of those handy plastic bags. Once in front of the fruits, check carefully to make sure the pieces you pick aren’t bruised or damaged. Cleveland Clinic dietician dietitian Katherine Patton adds to look for any water leak. “If there’s a whitish outer layer on it, the fruit or vegetable has begun to lose its moisture, and some nutrients may have escaped the food.” After choosing well, bag what you picked to keep it separate from raw meat, poultry, and fish in your cart or carry-home bags so as to avoid accidental bacterial contamination.

Once home, refrigerate your produce until cooking time at which point wash your hands and working surfaces such as chopping boards and counter top. Then use a soft vegetable brush to scrub fruits and vegetables under plain running water (no need for soap or detergent icky enough to stick around on the food). Even if you plan to cut away the peel, washing the outside matters to make sure no bugs in the surface migrate into the flesh when you slice and dice. With veggies such as lettuce or cabbage, toss any torn or bruised leaves. Then discard the outside ones and wash the rest one leaf at a time because rinsing the entire head all at once cannot get the inside leaves safe. Now, unless you use them right away, put the clean foods in a clean container back in in the fridge to keep them clean.

Note: CDC says no matter how completely you wash, there may still be bad bugs lingering. So, if your guest list includes a very young child, a very old adult, or a person of any age with a compromised immune system, turn on the stove. As with poultry, meat, fish and eggs, cooking fruit and vegetables thoroughly can solve the situation.

Finally, if you choose to short-cut your prep by buying bagged whole or pre-cut produce, Cleveland Clinic’s Patton says read the label. Look for either a packaging date or a use-by date and make your purchase based on which container is freshest; after as little as five or six days, vitamin levels in pre-cuts begin to drop. Also check for chemicals such as the chlorinated water approved by FDA for washing the packaged produce. But, and it’s an important one, while it’s safe to eat pre-cut vegetables washed this way, the basic real rules still apply. There have been reports of problems arising from food gone bad in the bag so look for and toss any damaged food you find.

And finally, yes, again, before handling any foods, including these, wash your hands. Washing twice is even nicer.