Do you really have to wash all your fruits and vegetables before eating them?
It may seem like an extra step before making a salad or throwing veggies into a hot pan, but the ongoing Cyclospora outbreak seems to have everyone on edge about using fresh produce—especially as cases continue to rise.1
Iceberg lettuce is still considered the main source of the outbreak, and any potentially contaminated lettuce has been removed from the food supply—but what about everything else?2 Do you really have to rinse everything from the grocery store or farmer’s market before it hits your plate? Here’s what you need to know.
Yes, You Need to Wash Your Produce
Even without an ongoing Cyclospora outbreak, you’d still benefit most from rinsing off your veggies—even produce with rinds you plan on removing, like lemons or oranges. The act of peeling off that outer layer could transfer pathogens from the produce’s skin to the edible flesh.
Some foods may require additional scrubbing. Root vegetables, like carrots, are grown entirely underground and may harbor extra dirt and debris.
You also want to pay special attention to lettuce. “Leafy greens require a bit more attention because their folds and crevices can trap dirt, debris, and microorganisms,” Vanessa Coffman, PhD, director of the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness, told HEALTH.
The only exception is when you’re dealing with pre-washed produce. In those situations, additional washing is unnecessary and may even introduce new germs into your food.
“You risk it coming into contact with a dirty or contaminated sink or surface,” Don Schaffner, PhD, department chair, distinguished professor, and extension specialist in food science at Rutgers University, told HEALTH.
Washing Produce Reduces Risk—But Doesn’t Eliminate It
Washing your produce helps remove dirt, pesticides, and germs, but it doesn’t remove all contaminants or provide complete protection against illness.
There isn’t a ton of research on how much bacteria washing can remove, Schaffner said, but it only takes a few particles on a piece of produce to make you sick. This is especially true for parasites like Cyclospora that cling tightly to produce, Coffman added.
Some pathogens can also make their way inside fruit or vegetables. For example, studies have shown that E. coli can enter tomatoes through the stem scar, where it’s protected from surface washing, Coffman said.3
That’s where other food safety practices come into play, like cooking, refrigerating, and preventing cross-contamination.
This all sounds overwhelming and may leave you wondering if anything is actually safe to eat—but Schaffner said most fresh produce in the U.S. is pathogen-free, and there’s no reason to avoid anything not under recall.
“There may be certain types of produce that are more commonly associated with outbreaks in any given year,” he said, “but I would not recommend avoiding certain types of produce because of a higher risk, since the risk of everything is very low.”
How to Properly Wash Fruits and Vegetables
This isn’t a complicated process: Use clean hands to thoroughly rinse produce under cool, running water—including produce you plan to peel. You should also use a dedicated produce brush to scrub dirt off firmer fruits and vegetables.
If you’re preparing lettuce—and you’re not using pre-washed greens—remove and discard the outermost leaves, then separate, wash, and dry the remaining leaves.
If you’re worried about water temperature or time spent washing, don’t be—they don’t make a major difference. “We’ve studied 60, 80, and 100 degrees Fahrenheit and found no statistically significant difference,” Schaffner said. “Duration also doesn’t make much practical difference.”
And skip any special soaps, bleaches, commercial produce washes, or even baking soda and vinegar concoctions. “These products have not been shown to provide a meaningful food safety benefit over water alone, and in some cases, may leave behind residues or alter the taste and quality of the produce,” Coffman said.45
