Myths about washing your produce before you consume

Should you wash your fruits and vegetables before you consume?

Yes everyone should, be it if purchased from a farmers market, a supermarket, an organic store and even if it is grown in your own backyard or on your own field. Here are a few myths about washing your produce before you consume.

And by washing, we actually mean rinsing fruits or vegetables under clear running water, rubbing gently, before preparing them. That’s because produce can become contaminated in many ways, from naturally occurring microorganisms in the soil, to pesticides, to germs from handling by workers, say agriculture experts.

Washing your vegetables is not required when grown in your backyard.

Not really, if until you have grown oranges or sweet lime, besides them anything grown should always be rinsed before consuming.

The contamination of microorganisms surrounding your crop might vary depending upon the soil and the air or even those present in your house. Hence, washing what you grow is a better option.

Vegetables with skins should be peeled

All vegetables with skins need not have to be peeled like example potatoes, cucumbers, eggplant (brinjal) carrots and radishes.

Most of these vegetables contain nutrients in their skins and peeling them out literally means not consuming them. Rather one can rinse the vegetables by running them through the cold or hot water.

Fancy technology for washing your produce

It is a proven fact that running your vegetables or fruits simultaneously in cold and hot water kills 98% of bacteria on them.

Unlike most of the people who require fancy technology of UV-rays or an ozone layered box to kill them.

Do not wash organically grown produce

It takes immense hard work from the farmer’s side to grow any particular crop. Even Though organic vegetables aren’t contaminated with pesticides and insecticides. Farmers cant control contamination from soil or while transportation of the produce. Hence, washing or rinsing even organically grown produce is always a safe side.

Related read: The importance of knowing where your food comes from