19 Sep, 2022

“Health is not valued till sickness comes.” – Thomas Fuller.

A healthy diet is the key to a healthy life. Although several factors play a vital role in improving the quality of living, such as the environment, medical amenities, lifestyle habits, etc., proper food constitutes the foundation of wholesome living.

Since fruits and vegetables are the primary elements of a person's food intake, it's necessary to ensure they are as free from impurities as possible, such as by washing them with water purified by modern water treatment solutions.

In today's blog, we’ll read about

• Why washing fruits and vegetables is crucial
• The correct procedure for washing fruits and vegetables
• The risks of consuming contaminated food

Let's begin with our first topic.

Why is Washing Fruits and Vegetables Essential?

The journey from the farm to your plate, undertaken by fruits and vegetables, is long. It passes through many locations and hands. During this process, contaminants like dust, dirt, bacteria, viruses, wax, etc., stick onto the surfaces of the farm produce.

Ingestion of these particles can lead to many foodborne diseases. Washing fruits and vegetables before consumption ensures food hygiene, which has become critical after the Coronavirus pandemic.

The process helps remove those unwanted particles, significantly reducing the risk of life-threatening diseases and consuming chemicals like pesticides. As an added advantage, washing also helps keep the fruits and vegetables fresh for longer.

Best Tips for Washing Fruits and Vegetables Correctly

In this section, we’ll see some simple and effective measures you must adopt while washing fruits and vegetables to achieve the highest standards in food hygiene.

• Wash and sanitize your hands first – The first step should be cleaning your hands before washing off the germs and dirt from the fruits and vegetables. The surface of our hands comes into contact with several other surfaces in a day. This results in our hands becoming carriers of microorganisms and dirt.

 

Washing our hands thoroughly with soap for at least 30 seconds can remove visible dirt and most invisible bacteria and viruses. Sanitizing your hands with an alcohol-based sanitizer will remove any remaining germs and bacteria.

• Wash every piece of produce – Leaving even one piece out of the fruits and vegetables you brought home can prove to be a costly mistake. If you wash some of the produce and leave one unwashed, the germs and bacteria can spread from it to the others. So, wash everything properly, even those fruits and vegetables you’ll peel or cook.

 

However, nutritionists advise not to wash some produce like berries and green, leafy vegetables long before consumption since the added moisture provides a favorable breeding ground for bacteria and germs to proliferate.

• Use cold water for washing – In the current times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are advised to take all possible precautions to prevent the spread of infection. However, this does not apply to washing fruits and vegetables. You should not use soap, cleaner, or sanitizer to clean them as it makes their surface porous, allowing contaminants and microbes to enter easily.

 

Since the absorption of such materials might also affect the taste of the food, it is recommended that you wash produce with cold water, such as water purified by a liquid water disinfectant. Preferably, you should rinse under running water. Take care not to wash fruits and vegetables in hot water as it might damage the surface cells and allow pesticides and germs to enter.

• Clean them thoroughly – You need to clean your food thoroughly to eliminate any chance of the dirt or bacteria remaining. Wash the inner layer of things like lettuce or cabbage after removing the outer layers properly.

 

Look carefully for dark spots or damage on the fruits and vegetables. Clean them properly, as such places may harbor bacteria and germs in the most unexpected places.

• Use a small amount of baking soda – Adding a teaspoon of baking soda can enhance a regular cold-water wash. Baking soda effectively separates harmful and poisonous substances like pesticides, germs, and bacteria. You should soak the fruits and vegetables in water mixed with baking soda for around 15 minutes. After that, you must wash your fruits and vegetables as described before.
• Use a brush or sponge if required – You may find that washing some fruits and vegetables proves harder than others. For those tough customers like potatoes, radishes, carrots, and others, you can use a soft brush or sponge to pick out the dirt from those hard-to-reach places on the surface of the produce.
• Properly dry the washed produce – We primarily store the fruits and vegetables in the fridge immediately after cleaning them. If this is done without drying them properly, you may find that your food starts rotting sooner.

 

Since moisture offers a perfect environment for bacteria to grow, you should dry the produce before stocking them in the refrigerator. However, if you’re going to consume or cook the fruits and veggies immediately, there is no need to dry them.

• Take care of cross-contamination – If raw foods like meat, vegetables, fish, and poultry are kept in close contact while washing the produce, it can lead to cross-contamination. It can be harmful to you and can put your food safety at risk.

 

You should not use the same utensil to wash fruits, vegetables, or other raw food materials. Change the water and the utensil after washing one set of foods.

Risks of Consuming Contaminated Food

People who wash their fruits and vegetables properly according to the tips mentioned above will achieve a healthier and longer life. However, if you ignore a proper wash of produce before consumption, it can lead to serious food poisoning and death in severe cases.

Some common bacteria that can become the root of food poisoning caused due to consumption of unwashed produce are

1. Salmonella
2. E. coli
3. Clostridium perfringens
4. Cryptosporidium
5. Vibrio cholera

 

Closing Note

Since fruits and vegetables are washed in water, it’s imperative to have purified and treated water for an effective cleaning. Aqua Salveo is a one-stop solution to disinfect water from harmful pathogens and make it suitable for drinking and washing food.

Aqua Salveo is approved by the SABS (South Africa Bureau of Standards) as a chlorine-free water disinfectant solution. So, purify your water with Aqua Salveo before washing your fruits and vegetables and provide yourself and your family with a wholesome and healthy life.