Fruit & Vegetable Washing

Under the present climate, I thought it might be prudent to update this fruit and vegetable wash post with the latest as it concerns the COVID-19 virus.

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Please note this is the best practice that I have decided to adopt for my family after reading countless articles on Covid-19 (list of a few at the end of this post).
It is up to you to decide what is best for your circumstances.

Recap on how COVID-19 is transmitted

COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through the air, via contact with an infected person’s body fluids (from coughing or sneezing) or from contact with surfaces on which an infected person has sneezed or coughed.

There have been no reports of the virus being transmitted via food or food packaging. It has been shown to need a human or animal host and cannot grow in food.

Following food safety protocols is ESSENTIAL

While it is recommended to just follow standard food-safety protocols as outlined in detail in my post below, I am also taking the added precaution of washing my fruit and veg just like I would do my dishes as an added safety measure also recommended in a recent article in delicious magazine.

Helpful shortcuts

1. The 4 essential steps for food safety
2. Choosing quality produce
3. Cleaning your surfaces
4. Washing your hands
5. Washing your produce
6. Avoiding contamination 
7. Keeping things at the correct temperature
8. Fruit and veggie wash recipes (FYI these are not effective in killing COVID-19).

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4 essential steps

There are 4 essential steps to washing your fruits and vegetables safely.

1. Choose – quality fruit and vegetables that are not damaged
2. Clean – wash hands and surfaces thoroughly and often.
3. Separate – avoid cross-contamination
4. Chill – keep food cold in your fridge immediately

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STEP 1: CHOOSE

It is important to choose quality fruit and vegetables that are not bruised and damaged as this may indicate the presence of bacteria.

Any pre-prepared vegetables should be kept as cold as possible to help maintain freshness.

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STEP 2: CLEAN

Clean hands, clean utensils and clean surfaces play a vital role in fruit and vegetable hygiene.

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PREPARING YOUR SURFACES

Wash your kitchen utensils, chopping boards and kitchen surfaces thoroughly.

I like to use an antiseptic spray on benchtops and then wash them with warm soapy water, then rinse and dry them thoroughly.

For utensils, use hot soapy water and then rinse and dry them thoroughly.

This should be done before and after preparing your vegetables.

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WASHING YOUR HANDS

Next, your hands must be clean so before preparing your fruits and vegetables wash your hands with soap and warm water for approximately 30 seconds, rinse and dry thoroughly.

This should be done both before and after preparing fruits and vegetables.

This is CRUCIAL and the best way to avoid the virus, you must constantly wash your hands or use anti-bacterial wipes or sanitisers if you are out and about.

How do I wash my hands properly?

Washing your hands properly takes about as long as singing "Happy Birthday" twice,
using the images below.

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WASHING YOUR PRODUCE

It is essential that all your fruit and vegetables be washed thoroughly before eating this includes both produce grown at home, organic produce as well as those bought at a supermarket, at a market or at a fruit and vegetable shop.

It is essential that all your fruit and vegetables be washed thoroughly before eating this includes both produce grown at home, organic produce as well as those bought at a supermarket, at a market or at a fruit and vegetable shop.

As dirt and bacteria may be transferred to produce as you peel, or even just while handling them, it is important to wash any fruits and vegetables that may need peeling such as citrus, avocados, carrots, etc. before you start to peel them.

While I would normally recommend using either a homemade vinegar or baking soda wash to get rid of bacteria and pesticides on your fruit and veg, they are ineffective against COVID-19 and to err on the safe side I have been using hot soapy water instead.

1. Cutaway any damaged or bruised areas you find on your vegetables and then clean the knife thoroughly so that you do not contaminate other food.
2. Fill up your kitchen sink with warm water then add some detergent.
3. For vegetables with hard skins, wash away the dirt and scrub with a hard bristled brush and then wash them thoroughly in the warm soapy water.
4. For leafy vegetables such as spinach, celery, lettuce and bagged salad, I submerge them in the soapy water and whoosh them a few at a time for at least 20 seconds.
5. Then rinse them quickly (otherwise they will wilt) under cold running water to get rid of the soap.
6. Allow them to drain in a colander and use a salad spinner to dry my salad leaves and herbs.
7. Then store as normal but only after they are COMPLETELY DRY.

It is vital that you do not wash and then store your vegetables as the water may cause more contamination and bacteria whilst in your fridge. If you would like to wash then store your vegetables they must be completely dry.

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STEP 3: SEPARATE

Cross-contamination occurs when bacteria and viruses are transferred from contaminated food or surfaces such as chopping boards or utensils to other food.

Avoid cross-contamination firstly whilst you are shopping by keeping your fruits and vegetables separate from your raw meat, seafood and poultry both in your shopping cart and in your grocery bags.

Secondly, by having separate chopping boards for your fruit and vegetable preparation and your raw meat preparation.

Thirdly, when you are storing your fruits vegetables by keeping fruits and vegetables separate from raw foods such as meat, poultry, and seafood. In addition

Make sure that obviously dirty vegetables such as whole lettuces with dirty roots are kept away from other vegetables as the dirt may contaminate them.

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STEP 4: CHILL

Keep your food cold as bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “Temperature Danger Zone” between  5°C and 60°C  (40°F and 140°F).

Refrigerate your fruits and vegetables within 2 hours or within 1 hour in hotter temperatures.

Keep the temperature in your fridge below 5°C (40°F) as this is the temperature that most bacteria grow slowly or even stop growing completely.

Use a fridge thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature and ensure that it stays between 4-5°C (40-41°F).

Do not overload your fridge so that you can allow the cold air to circulate around your food and keep it cold.

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FRUIT AND VEGGIE WASH

You may also like to consider making your own fruit and vegetable wash which will remove pesticides and get rid of any bacteria on your produce a lot more effectively. However, just to be absolutely clear these will not kill the COVID-19 virus only soap and water can do that ?.

For fruit and vegetables…

1. Make a solution of 1 cup vinegar to 4 cups water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and then place it in a spray bottle.
2. Place your vegetables in a colander in the sink.
3. Generously spray your vegetables all over and allow to sit with the solution for at two minutes, ideally five minutes.
4. Thoroughly rinse under cold running water and scrub thick-skinned produce with a hard-bristle brush.
5. Pat dry with a towel.

For leafy greens…

1. Fill a large clean bowl or your clean sink with water and add 1 cup vinegar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for each litre of water that you have used.
2. Place your greens in the solution and allow to soak for two to five minutes.
3. Gently lift your greens from the water so that you do not disturb any dirt that has sunk to the bottom.
4. Drain your greens in a colander and rinse them thoroughly with cold running water.
5. Shake to remove excess water and then either pat dry with a towel or use a salad spinner to completely dry your leaves and allow the dressing to adhere to the leaves for a much tastier salad.

What makes vinegar such a good cleaner...

White vinegar is usually made of laboratory-produced acetic acid combined with water which makes it the most acidic of all the kinds of vinegar and therefore a potent cleaner.

Baking soda wash…

This is considered to be one of the most effective washes to get rid of pesticides and bacteria from your fruit and vegetables as found from a new study done on apples.

1. Fill a large clean bowl or your clean sink with water then add one teaspoon of baking soda.
2. Add your vegetables and allow to soak for at least two minutes, for firmer vegetables scrub with a brush.
3. Gently lift them from the water so as not any dirt that has sunk to the bottom.
4. Drain your vegetables and rinse them thoroughly.
5. Pat dry with a towel to remove excess water.

a Resources

• Delicious Magazine
• Choice Australia
• UNICEF
• CSIRO
• HEALTH.GOV.AU
• World Health Organization

FOR ADDITIONAL NUTRITIONAL VALUE FOLLOW OUR GUIDE AND SHOP IN-SEASON VEGETABLES.

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