Should You Wash Your Produce?

The FDA recommends you wash your produce to reduce foodborne pathogens, but has determined washing meat only spreads bacteria and doesn’t remove it from your food

Cooking kills bacteria on meat, but most produce is eaten raw; using vinegar reduces bacterial load on produce, and baking soda reduces your exposure to pesticides

After an 18-month surveillance of imported and locally grown avocados, the U.S. FDA found 17% of the skins of the fruits were contaminated with Listeria; less than 1% was contaminated with Salmonella or the meat of the fruits with Listeria

It is important to keep soaps away from your produce as residue remains, exposing you to toxic chemicals from the soap and pesticides remaining on the fruit

Safer alternatives to using running water is baking soda and water to degrade pesticide residue and a white vinegar and water mixture to kill foodborne pathogens on produce

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