To Wash Or Not To Wash

When it comes to fresh produce to wash or not to wash is the question. To help answer that question the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has provided guidelines that are pretty much common sense - before eating or preparing fresh fruits and vegetables, wash the produce under cold running tap water to remove any lingering dirt. That will help to reduce any bacteria that may be present. The surface of firm produce, like potatoes or apples can be scrubbed with a brush. They go on to say that “when preparing fruits and vegetables, cut away any damaged or bruised areas because bacteria that can cause illness can thrive in those places.” As far as eggs or meat - eggs do not have to be washed before storing them as they are washed in commercial egg processing plants and don’t need to be washed again, and experts now say that raw meat and poultry should not be washed because the bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can get splashed onto other surfaces and be spread to other foods and utensils, creating cross-contamination that could lead to food borne illness. To find out more visit the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service website.