To not wash my fruit and veg before cooking/eating?

[AmserGwin]

Inspired by the bin thread. How many of you actually wash your fruit and/or veg before eating or cooking it? I never have, do people really do this?

Do people really wash raspberries? Don't they go mushy? And as for the person who suggested washing them with vinegar then rinsing-UGH no thanks.

This is fascinating. Let me ask the non-washers: suppose you went to visit a friend who grows a lot of fruit and veg. You observe her going to the loo and emerging without washing her hands. If she went straight into the garden and picked some tomatoes, would you be happy to eat them without washing? I wouldn't.

I'd honestly not be that fussed Gasp.

Me neither

Well, there's your answer, because I would. In the summer when the doors and windows are often open and there are flies about, I rinse any fruit I take from the fruit bowl before I eat it in case a fly has landed on it. I'm not a germophobe, but I do try to ensure my food is free of fecal matter and traces of urine. I've never before thought of that as a particularly out of the way aspiration.

From reading this and the potatoes thread I have realised I do quite a lot of rank things without realising 😂

lolli I am generally disgusting, I knew that before MN

I rinse under the cold running tap and drain in a colander or seive. I try not to dwell too much on the toilet and hand washing facilities of the crop pickers......

Those of you who say you've been not washing for 50 years and are fine, well that's just pure luck. Random. It's the same as saying you've smoked for 60 years and never got cancer. Some people won't, but in GENERAL the risk is there.

There are two sides to this: it's been found that ingesting some dirt as found on home-grown veg (not fertilised with animal manure) can be healthy and protect against allergies etc. and also give you some vital minerals (selenium) found in soil. I'd not be fussed about carefully washing carrots, beetroots, lettuce etc grown by myself when I know where they have been grown and in what.

However, I feel very different about bagged salad which is notorious for harbouring bacteria, or fruit that's travelled across the world and been handled by numerous people in numerous countries en route to the UK.

I am also not sure about the hygiene regulations in other countries, especially those where the pickers use the fields to defecate, have no loo paper, so your produce may be contaminated with all kinds of dangerous bacteria.

The use of safe pesticides varies across the world, so that's another issue.

As a PP said, you don't know about the accumulation of pesticides that are inside you now. Yes, washing helps remove them and things like leafy veg are the most risky. I've walked alongside tractors spraying fields and believe me, they get a good dousing several times a year.

Not washing is playing Russian roulette. You've been lucky so far- stomach acid kills bugs a lot of the time - but there will be a day when your luck runs out. It's not worth risking.

Good lord, the germ paranoia is spreading!

To all those who wash fruit before eating it, presumably you also wash your hands before picking up (and dry them on freshly laundered towel that goes straight into the wash)? Do you also wash your lips and teeth before biting into it, because they are absolutely teeming with bacteria?

Polly if your talking about cancer, someone up thread has already made a link to Cancer Research which states no link has been found between cancer and pesticides.

Crikey some right drama llamaing there polly, "accumulation of pesticides inside you" and "your luck will run out soon" good grief.

polly

I have also travelled nearly every day of my life in a car which involves a huge risk of my dying. Should I stop doing that too?

Always. I would never occur to me NOT to wash it, it's grown in soil with manure, people! Y'all eager to get worms?

Organic isn't grown with unicorn farts, either. Still dirt. Also even though a pesticide may have been deemed 'organic', there is some controversy as some are, in some opinions, still rather 'chemical' in their nature (as in, could be harmful) and some 'organic' practises are still harmful to digestion.

Unwashed food? Ming.

I really don't give a stuff about chemicals but then again I used johnsons baby oil on my newborn

sleepystorm it's up to you what risks you want to take!

We all take risks every day from crossing the road to being a pedestrian, even.

Some risks are acceptable- ie the convenience of using a car - to most people.

Some risks can be reduced , so I'd rather reduce the risks by using a simple measure.

Your choice!

As for the cancer risks and pesticides, it's controversial. You can find stats saying there is or there is not a risk. Much of the research showing no risk is funded by companies with a vested interest.

What amuses me is that bags of people where disgusted at the idea of double dipping a spoon whilst preparing food (another thread) but yet, somehow, not washing fruit and veg seems to be more acceptable... double standards?

Organic fruit and veg can still use pesticides, so if you don't want to eat pesticides and chemicals, you should wash organic fruit and veg too.

were disgusted

Organic fruit and veg can still use pesticides, so if you don't want to eat pesticides and chemicals, you should wash organic fruit and veg too.

But seriously, does a rinse with cold water really get rid of pesticides?? I'm not buying it.

This thread just shows how people are ignorant. It's not being holier than thou to wash fruit and veg. It's basic food hygiene. Years ago when not much food was imported compared to today, and more people grew their own food in their gardens, fine, you knew what was in your soil so the risks were fewer. A bit of soil is actually good for you.

But if you want to get threadworms, tapeworms, and other horrible tummy bugs, from handling across continents, carry on not washing!

washing under running water for 1 minute supposedly removes pesticides. Or buy organic to reduce risk, or peel.

God, this idea that because you and your family have never yet been ill despite never washing veg is so ridiculous. Somebody else already made this analogy earlier but it's a good one:

I have never worn a seatbelt in my 32 years of life, nor have my siblings, and nor have my DCs who are 4 and 6. None of us has ever been injured in a car accident! Aren't we great?! Seatbelts are obviously pointless and unnecessary!

Polly the link to evidence about pesticides and cancer was from Cancer Research UK. I imagine their only vested interest is in the prevention and cure of cancer.

NickyEds Cancer Research UK does not always have the best information, sadly.
If you know anything about research you will know that what is available for Joe Public on sites like that is often not the whole story.