Washing fresh fruit and vegetables, whether bagged or not, is a good practice. Washing can reduce risk, but it is not a guarantee, especially for Cyclospora. Buying a whole head of romaine lettuce is better than purchasing bagged greens. Bagged food has been handled, cut, and mixed. Pre-cut greens may have come from different farms, contaminating the entire bag. Either way- when buying whole or cut lettuce-remember- contamination often occurs before harvest. For lettuce, always remove outer leaves, damaged, wilted, or dirty leaves. Wash the remaining lettuce under cool, clean running water. Do not use vinegar, soap, baking soda, or bleach on your produce. Scrub firm produce with a clean produce brush. For pre-washed produce, ready to eat, it does not need to be rewashed.
Cooking is the best line of defense to destroy organisms. Cooking involves steaming hot throughout- no just warmed. Farmers' markets and organic produce are not necessarily safer than grocery-bought veggies. Local is a distance, not a safety guide. Fruits and vegetables that we consume must be grown in sanitary conditions. Pay attention to health alerts, wash produce under cool water, and discard foods that health officials tell you to. Do not feed it to your pets or animals. Preparing or chopping fresh food and vegetables makes them vulnerable to nutrient loss, oxidation, and harmful pathogens. (Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria). Before peeling, scrub the fruit. Use a clean peeler or knife. Always wash all fruits and vegetables before cutting or peeling. I recommend using clean, sanitized peelers and Knives. Only use my Two lumps of Sugar steel-coated knives for prep work. They are easy to care for, do not flake or rust, and remain sharp. The knives are available directly from this site with a promo code: ddd001.
For anyone interested in sharing their input, recipes for cooked fruits and vegetables- our members are waiting. Eat healthy, stay safe