Why you should always wash fruit and veg before eating them – and the best technique to use

Water helps remove potentially harmful microbes. Gorodenkoff/ Shutterstock by Primrose Freestone, University of Leicester Eating fruits and vegetables every day is a great way to stay healthy – just make sure you wash them properly first. While most people are aware of the dangers raw meat and fish can pose to health, many consider fresh produce to be “safe”. But each year, one in ten people gets ill by eating unsafe food – and approximately 46% of these cases of food-borne illness come from eating vegetables and fruit. The fact is most fresh produce is grown in the open where anyone or anything – such as insects and birds – can touch it. This means as well as dirt, unwashed produce may contain a variety of potentially harmful matter – including bacteria, fungi, viruses and pesticides. Fresh produce may also become contaminated during packaging, preparation or storage. Even produce grown in greenhouses hydroponically can still harbour germs and pesticides. Washing fruits and vegetables is of real food safety importance. But what’s the best way to do it? Washing your produce First, wash your hands. This prevents germs on your skin from contaminating the produce you’re cleaning. The simplest and safest...