How to wash produce?

[tmm99]

DH eats tons of apples and bananas every day. We normally wash the apples with water (we get our apples with local growers who do not use pesticides, but the farmer's market is no longer open, so we'll have to get new ones from regular stores) and we do nothing to the bananas before consumption.

With this coronavirus thing going on, how would you wash them? (I'm worried about the bananas too, as we don't know who touched them. DH won't go for putting gloves on every time he peels a banana...)

Some kind of bleach/water solution? Does anybody have a recipe? I looked online a bit, but nothing jumped out at me.

If I can get a good solution, I could buy fresh tomatoes and field cukes again.

Thank you!

 

[Jerry1]

DW soaks fruit in a apple cider vinegar solution and water. Never done it with thick skinned fruit like bananas. I think you could just wash those in soap and water if you’re worried about them. Though I guess soaking them in the vinegar solution would work too.

https://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2013/06/how-to-clean-fruits-and-vegetables.html

 

[Calico]

DW soaks fruit in a apple cider vinegar solution and water. Never done it with thick skinned fruit like bananas. I think you could just wash those in soap and water if you’re worried about them. Though I guess soaking them in the vinegar solution would work too.

https://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2013/06/how-to-clean-fruits-and-vegetables.html

Thank you; this is very helpful information. As long as I can safely get fresh fruits and vegetables from the grocery store I will continue to eat them. I fear that soon it will only be canned and frozen for me, since I'm already uncomfortable making trips to the grocery store.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Here’s what CDC says:

https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/steps-healthy-fruits-veggies.html

And FDA:

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/7-tips-cleaning-fruits-vegetables

 

[pacergal]

It may be overkill, but I have been washing with a bit of soap, gently rubbing my hands around the fruit/veggie and lots of water rinsing. So far, everything except leafy veggies, berries or bananas.

 

[tmm99]

Thank you for the links you all posted so far, but these are non-crisis type, regular cleaning methods. I am not sure if washing with water or soaking in water/vinegar solution for 15 minutes will be sufficient. I guess I'm looking for a cleaning method that is a little more hardcore.

I guess I could wash them with soap, but I'm not sure I like the idea... But if there's no other way...

 

[stepford]

If the virus only lives on cardboard for 24 hours and on plastic for 3 days might it not be sufficient to let non-perishable items just sit for a few days before consumption?

 

[EveryLady]

DW soaks fruit in a apple cider vinegar solution and water. Never done it with thick skinned fruit like bananas. I think you could just wash those in soap and water if you’re worried about them. Though I guess soaking them in the vinegar solution would work too.

https://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2013/06/how-to-clean-fruits-and-vegetables.html

"Can vinegar kill germs?
No. According to the CDC and NSF (a public health and safety organization), vinegar (or vinegar-based alternative cleaning products) should not be used to disinfect or sanitize. Vinegar-containing cleaning products can be a good in some instances, but vinegar is not registered with the EPA as a disinfectant and is ineffective against most bacteria and viruses – it does not kill the flu or coronavirus. Undiluted white vinegar may work on some limited types of bacteria, but it's not the best way to get surfaces germ-free. (Besides, coronavirus is a virus, not a bacteria.)"
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/a31402790/what-kills-germs/

We have fresh fruits and vegetables being delivered later today. I'll probably just wash them individually with soap and water.

 

[Clover5]

This is what we use in Mexico, it’s sold everywhere. The brand name is Microdyn and it contains colloidal silver which is totally tasteless and non toxic.

 

[calmloki]

Images of a family foaming at the mouth while eating spaghetti with a homemade freshly soapy washed tomato sauce. Not far off in my mind from pictures of werewolf/zombie feast. The Apocalypse is upon us! run away! oops, no, shelter in place with your canned goods.

Stepford and the wait idea is what I'm using on some things. Bought a bunch of booze the other day and just left it in the garage where it won't get touched. The bananas and apples for our oatmeal can sit out for days before (safe) use. ditto tomatoes. Lettuce might get a bit sad..

 

[Rianne]

Oh boy. This is a serious article and for those of us science challenged, skip through a bunch of it and get to the parts you understand. And good luck. It specifically addresses how to clean fruits and vegetables including for viruses.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3147408/

 

[capjak]

Oh boy. This is a serious article and for those of us science challenged, skip through a bunch of it and get to the parts you understand. And good luck. It specifically addresses how to clean fruits and vegetables including for viruses.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3147408/

So this article is stating that soap and water significantly reduces the bacteria/virus that they measured before/after washing better than the other methods they tried.

 

[Montecfo]

Dept of Ag says no evidence of contagion through food borne coronavirus.

Other sources say wash your fresh foods as usual. Even skinned fruit like banana, where you do not eat skin.

 

[ERD50]

What about UV exposure, normal sunlight? Lot's of links if you search, but I don't have time now to sort thorough the, just a thought if you wish to pursue it.

-ERD50

 

[sengsational]

Oh boy. This is a serious article and for those of us science challenged, skip through a bunch of it and get to the parts you understand. And good luck. It specifically addresses how to clean fruits and vegetables including for viruses.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3147408/

The article is not highly applicable since it was tested on a non-enveloped virus, and SARS-2 is enveloped. I hate to say it, but "apples and oranges"

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

If the virus only lives on cardboard for 24 hours and on plastic for 3 days might it not be sufficient to let non-perishable items just sit for a few days before consumption?

Yes, this. Banana skin is textures something like paper, so 24 hours (sunlight or not) should be sufficient, and washing apples with a bit of soap or letting them sit 2-3 days should be enough, even if those items were contaminated at the store just before you put them in your cart. With direct sunlight, maybe less.

 

[Sojourner]

If the virus only lives on cardboard for 24 hours and on plastic for 3 days might it not be sufficient to let non-perishable items just sit for a few days before consumption?

Prior to COVID-19, I had always tried to follow a 24 hour quarantine protocol for everything I bought at the grocery store during flu season. I figured that anything lurking on the surfaces of cans, bottle, containers, etc. would dry out and become harmless after a full day of storage inside my pantry or fridge, so they'd be safe to handle. I guess now, to be on the safe side, I really should be extending that to 72 hours. And that means setting up multiple, dedicated quarantine areas—one in the fridge, one in the pantry, one in the garage(?)—for all groceries and other supplies, so they don't co-mingle with the "safe" ones. Sigh...

And yet, by contrast, we have the director of WHO making a very clear statement about three weeks ago that "COVID-19 does not transmit as efficiently as influenza." Difficult to reconcile that with other info about how long it can stay viable on surfaces outside the body.

 

[audreyh1]

Dish soap!

I’ll wash our veggies as I normally do. Somehow I’m not concerned about catching COVID-19 from fresh produce.

 

[ncbill]

Iodine-based washes are common south of the border...

 

[EveryLady]

Using gloves, discard any packaging ... wash fresh produce with soap and water (to avoid cross-contamination) ... then wait 72 hours ... followed by a pre-consumption wash. Surely, that is more than enough particularly since food contamination is not thought to be a significant source of infection.

There is this:
"Given that studies on SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, two recent coronavirus outbreaks, showed that viruses could survive for up to 72 hours at the average temperature of a fridge (4 degrees Celsius), Dr. Mooty said, “It is safe for us to assume that the virus responsible for COVID-19 might be similarly persistent.”

This was interesting:
“Research into similar coronavirus strains has shown that, in general, coronaviruses are stable in freezing temperatures and have been shown to survive for up to two years at -20 degrees Celsius,” explained Dr. Mohamad Mooty, Department Chair, Infectious Diseases, Medical Subspecialty Institute, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

"If the new coronavirus is as persistent as its predecessors, it could survive on surfaces in freezers long after authorities aim to have suppressed the pandemic – living on food packaging in a freezer, for example."
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/fe...n-a-freezer-Up-to-two-years-warns-expert.html

The packaging (and who might have recently handled it) sounds like the greatest point of vulnerability.

 

[EveryLady]

One of the most detailed (hopefully that correlates with accuracy!) sources of information was Consumer Reports of all places:

"Wash produce with soap and water. Because COVID-19 is from a family of viruses very likely deactivated by contact with soap and water, washing your fruit and vegetables with soap and water should eliminate any live virus, says Rogers. What's more, rubbing fruit and vegetables under running water—and scrubbing those with hard skins—can help remove pesticides."

"But Rogers says there's no data to show that COVID-19 is spread by consuming food. "The risk of getting the virus from your food is considered low," he says."

"For hard-skinned produce, scrub skins or peels with a soft-bristled vegetable brush, using dish or hand soap and warm water. For other types of produce, including leafy greens, soak in soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly."

"Other steps may not make much difference. For instance, buying frozen vegetables rather than fresh under the assumption that they’re packed in a more sanitary way is not an approach that has been backed up by evidence, says Rogers."
https://www.consumerreports.org/foo...rself-from-coronavirus-when-grocery-shopping/

 

[dixonge]

View attachment 34232

This is what we use in Mexico, it’s sold everywhere. The brand name is Microdyn and it contains colloidal silver which is totally tasteless and non toxic.

Most of the gringos I know in Mexico use that stuff. Unfortunately it is about as effective as a water rinse. The things you really want to avoid can only be killed by a bleach solution.

"The NIH study evaluating Mexican vegetable contamination found that the silver colloid based disinfectants (like microdyne, biodyne, etc) lowered fecal coliform (pooh bacteria) counts, but did not eliminate them, and these same silver colloid products did not remove salmonella typhi risks in any samples. They found that bleach-based disinfectant solutions** were effective against all three major families of microbial contaminants tested (killing fecal coliforms, salmonella, and various pathogenic mesophillic microorganisms)."

Salmonella Food contamination in Mexico

(don't skip the comments section - good info there as well)

 

[sengsational]

Went to grocery store yesterday. Fresh fruits and veg stocked as usual. Very busy, heads down, self check out pretty busy. I wore surgical gloves then took them off after, sanitized hands. How far does one go? Store workers actively stocking shelves. I can't get hung up on every single thing I touch has the virus. My mental health has to stay in check too. Here's an article from March 13 about fresh fruits and vegs.
https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/rel...nd-veggies-as-virus-concerns-grip-nation.html

This article suggests acquiring the disease from food is not proven, but I'm taking precautions. I like the Consumer Reports approach, as it seems more thorough.

 

[Rianne]

This article suggests acquiring the disease from food is not proven, but I'm taking precautions. I like the Consumer Reports approach, as it seems more thorough.

Excellent article in Consumer Reports. This is the author's background. I'm sure her research is well done.



Tobie Stanger
I cover the money side of home-related purchases and improvements: avoiding scams, making sense of warranties and insurance, finding the best financing, and getting the most value for your dollar. For CR, I've also written about digital payments, credit and debit, taxes, supermarkets, financial planners, airlines, retirement and estate planning, shopping for electronics and hearing aids—even how to throw a knockout wedding on a shoestring. I am never bored. Find me on Twitter: @TobieStanger

 

[EveryLady]

Here's an article where the quoted expert increases the time the virus can live, say, on the skin of a banana from 72 hours (per Consumer Reports) to 4 days.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...away-from-the-deli-meats?fbclid=IwAR1bLK2mIfD