Fruits and vegetables usually contain some toxins typical of fumigation. The most obvious thing is that there are thousands of microscopic organisms that live in them. Some of them, including harmful bacteria, mold, fungus and animal waste, we should not eat. For this reason, many people use food bleach to wash.
If we don’t grow our own food, we don’t know for sure what chemicals are in it. Since food has likely been sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, or other toxic chemicals, it is important to clean it before eating.
And even if we buy totally organic products, farmers can use some approved pesticides and chemicals. These include copper sulfate, lead salts, arsenic, streptomycin, and tetracycline. So choosing some way to wash your produce can keep it fresh for longer.
Why wash fresh produce?
Properly washing fresh fruits and vegetables is a good habit to minimize the ingestion of potentially harmful residues and germs. Many people handle fresh produce before buying it at the grocery store or farmer’s market. It is best to assume that not all hands that have touched fresh produce have been clean.
With all the people constantly moving through these environments, it’s also safe to assume that much of the fresh produce you buy has been coughed, sneezed and breathed in too.
Properly washing fresh fruits and vegetables before eating them can significantly reduce the residue that can be left on them during the trip to the kitchen.
Food Bleach Risks
Although rinsing fresh produce with water has long been the traditional method of preparing fruits and vegetables before consumption, many people wonder if that’s enough to really clean them. Some have advocated the use of soap, vinegar, lemon juice, or even commercial cleaners like food bleach.
However, health and food safety experts strongly urge consumers not to follow this advice and stick to plain water. The use of such substances can present more health hazards and are unnecessary to remove the most harmful product residues. Ingesting commercial cleaning chemicals like bleach can be deadly and should never be used to clean food.
Additionally, substances such as lemon juice, vinegar, and laundry products have not been shown to be more effective than water in cleaning produce, and may even leave additional deposits on food. Although some research has suggested that using neutral electrolyzed water or a baking soda bath may be even more effective at removing certain substances, the consensus remains that cold tap water is sufficient in most cases
Mercadona food bleach
In Mercadona they also have their own disinfectant cleaner for vegetables and fruits. The half-liter bottle costs €2 , so it can be affordably priced.
This vegetable and fruit wash from Bosque Verde is a solution to prepare the water in which fresh fruit or vegetables are going to be washed. However, it is not suitable for disinfecting the water that we are going to drink. This disinfectant is made up of sodium hypochlorite , a solution of 13 grams of active chlorine per liter.
To use this food bleach, we must add three caps of this liquid in 1 liter of water, submerge the food in the water (without peeling or chopping) and leave to soak for 5 minutes. If we want a more thorough disinfection, we can let it act for up to 15 minutes. Then we will rinse them with enough water and they will be ready to consume.
It is important that it is not applied directly to food without diluting it in water. In case of ingestion by accident, it is important to go to the emergency room.
Alternatives
If we prefer not to use vegetable and fruit sanitizer, there are other ways to clean them safely.
White vinegar
Using white vinegar to clean produce is one of the most popular methods, and for good reason. Since almost every home stocks white wine vinegar, it’s a great choice for all types of cleaning. To use white vinegar in a fresh vegetable or fruit wash, we can follow these steps:
- Combine 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water at room temperature.
- Let the product soak for 5-10 minutes.
- Rub, rinse well and let dry.
Apple vinager
If apple cider vinegar can detoxify the body, condition hair, and even remove moles, it’s no wonder we use it to wash down our fresh foods.
Apple cider vinegar removes pesticides and bacteria more effectively. 1 part apple cider vinegar to 10 parts water is recommended. Let the product rest for about 5 minutes, rub if necessary, rinse and let dry.
citrus essential oils
Enzymes from citrus essential oils (orange, lemon, grapefruit) contain monoterpenes, which have the ability to dissolve petroleum-based substances. Since many pesticides are petroleum-based, citrus essential oils can remove them.3
However, the problem is that oil and water do not mix. To use essential oils to wash products, you have to combine them with castile soap.
Water
Washing fresh fruits and vegetables in cold water before eating is a good practice when it comes to health hygiene and food safety. Keep in mind that fresh produce should not be washed until just before you are ready to eat it. Washing fruits and vegetables before storage can create an environment where bacterial growth is more likely.
Before starting to wash fresh products, we will wash our hands well with soap and water. We will make sure that all the utensils, sinks and surfaces that we are using to prepare the products are also thoroughly cleaned first. We’ll start by cutting out the bruised or visibly rotten parts of the fresh produce. If we are handling a fruit or vegetable that is going to be peeled, such as an orange, we will wash it before peeling it to prevent surface bacteria from entering the pulp.
