To not wash my fruit and veg

[Darkmorningsarethepits]

I just don’t. Never have.
Am I going to die from pesticide exposure or some other hideous hidden danger.

Am I the only person who doesn’t?

The time we went to stay with my aunt and uncle and she didn't wash the plums she put in her crumble is enshrined in family memory. We children didn't eat it as we didn't like plums. Aunt and my parents ate it for lunch and were sick during the afternoon. Uncle was at work so came home later and was warned not to eat the crumble. "Rubbish" he said, "it's all in the mind". We heard the result as he threw up over night.

I'm disabled and lazy so sometimes I wash mine in my mini dishwasher on the fruit and veg wash cycle if it's a fair amount of stuff that needs prepping. I've seen some health conscious people on Reddit saying they wash fruit and veg in bicarb and vinegar.

Of course I do. Their long journey to my table means they have been touched and exposed to many things. Would you pick up your strawberry to eat it with your hands dirty from gardening/using the loo/using public services? I wouldn’t.

I think that removing the soil and grit would have lessened the risk...I can't do links but if you google food poisoning from soil, there's a lot of information

Grocery store employee arrested for urinating on vegetables....

I left a bunch of grapes in a bowl of cold water. A white bowl. When I fished them out ten minutes later the bottom of the bowl had turned brown. So now I always wash everything.

I've literally never bothered, unless it's visibly dirty. Even mushrooms with a bit of soil on, I just wipe it off and crack on. Some level of germs is good for your immune system and I think we could all benefit from that after being locked down for several years.

Oh yes grapes - a friend whose parents grew them said ALWAYS wash them, and I certainly agree they are genuinely dirty/dusty when sold! Also cucumbers and most tomatoes, I find.

I don’t wash things I’ve grown myself. Or berries - they are so spoiled by washing…

I have never washed fruit and veg. OK, I do wash leeks as they can have a lot of grit in them. I pick blackberries off the bush and eat them straight away. I have a stomach of steel.

Knock off any visible mud but other than that, no.
Dh does most of the cooking, perhaps he does a bit more than that but when it’s me, nothing gets washed. Still alive and with a robust immune system.

Mushrooms are ruined by washing and taste best on the way home from the shop with soil still present 😶‍🌫️😋

@DeskJotter "And do you think a quick rinse would have washed away the bacteria or virus that was on the spinach?"

Removing every virus and bacteria would be impossible. The goal of rinsing is to reduce the number so they're less likely to make you ill.

All pesticides have regulations associated with them, and what are called harvest intervals. Basically, pesticides are designed to be rain-fast (stay in the plant and not get washed off), but not 'too' stable that they never degrade. These harvest intervals mean that each pesticide has a set number of days before the plant is to be harvested that it can be sprayed. So, for example, a harvest interval of 3 days means the grower can use it three days before the plant is due to be harvested, and laboratory tests have confirmed that by the time it is harvested/eaten, the pesticide is now at a sufficiently low concentration that it is (effectively) harmless.

However, this does not factor in bacteria, fungi, insects, faecal matter, etc. These plants could have been handled by pickers who didn't wash their hands, be somewhat mouldy (e.g. Botrytis), have had a bird crap on them, or simply be covered in dirt... so in this respect, while you're definitely below the maximum residue limit (MRL) for pesticides, it's still better to be safe.

If you don't wash though, you're probably still safe, but really, what's the harm.

I was potatoes and carrots if I'm peeling them for no other reason that I find it easier to peel. I'll wash or wipe veg if there's mud on it but apart from that I've never been worried about bacteria or pesticides on vegetables!

I don't either. Vegetables from supermarkets don't have dirt on them like they used to so I don't see a need.

Nope. Never have.

Yes I always wash everything

Your food comes from all over the world, so why would it matter than the uk hasn’t Tb anymore? Someone from any other countries could be coughing on it, peeing on it (humans or animals) being harvested from area with high pollen count or smog or other pollutants. They get picked in various places and standards. On container ships with mice. Etc.

washing with cold water gets rid of surface dirt, dust, urine, bugs v not washing at all. So I definitely would wash still

It’s like if you have muddy hands from the garden. Yes you should wash with hot water and soap. But if you just washed with cold water you would still get 98% off wouldn’t you and your hands would look reasonably clean v just leaving them covered in mud.

Unless there is actual dirt then I don’t usually bother. I do wash them before giving them to my kids though.
when I was pregnant my ocd was insane and I would barely eat anything and the washing I did on lettuce etc was ridiculous

Never, I'll occasionally wash them if I've dropped them but never really think about it.

Its never caused me to be ill.

Grapes are one of the few I do wash sometimes, and strawberries if they're really sandy.

I wash mine because of threadworms which can be spread by rodents. Ever since I learnt that veg could be contaminated I give it as good a wash as I can. I used to work in a cafe and we had to rinse the salad leaves in a sterilising solution.

Let's say you went to a buffet....in front of you there are ten people....they all pick up the same sandwich but then put it back down on the platter, the last person drops it on the floor but picks it up and places it back on the platter...when you get to the front of the buffet, would you choose and eat that sandwich?

Can't believe how many people don't bother washing fruit and veg!? If even says on packaging to rinse before eating.
I use sodium bicarbonate and water. It doesn't get rid of all the pesticides but plenty of studies have shown that it does remove a good amount. Better than nothing and it's not like it takes much effort or time.

Tbf using bicarb does sound like effort 😆 can you tell me how you do it ? Do you make a solution and let the veg soak or ?

Don’t you eat outside your house? I eat a punnet of raspberries a day from sainsbury at work, that I buy with my lunch. That’s not exactly an unusual thing to do

taking bicarbonate to work and filling the scummy work kitchen up with bicarbonate and water to soak them would be quite a bizarre feat, yes 😂

No I wouldn't eat fruit without at least washing it with water. Even if I don't have sodium bicarbonate, I'd at least wash them. No it doesn't wash off all pesticides etc but it is still better.