How to Wash Fruits & Vegetables: Apples, grapes, avocados and more!
By Roxanna Pelka, Samantha Boh -
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Does an apple a day really keep the doctors away? We consume more than 92 kg of vegetables and 70 kg of fruit on average per year. Thus, it is assumed that we already know everything about handling fruits and vegetables properly. However, we often forget how dirty they are. In actual fact: apples, potatoes and others are real germ traps. Yes, your fruits and vegetables are dirtier than you think! Here’s the right way to wash fruits and vegetables.
Cleaning expert at Helpling, Roxanna Pelka, explains how to do a proper fruit and vegetable hygiene check and also listed down why even avocados and mangoes also need extensive washing.
1. Fruits & vegetables coated with pesticides
Most imported fruits and vegetables have travelled thousands of kilometers and before ending up in the supermarket and in your fruit bowl. To extend its shelf-life, they are often sprayed with a toxic cocktail of pesticides and coated with wax, which can cause stomach cramps, fever or headache and can even lead to food poisoning, asthma or diabetes.
No matter how plump and juicy those lovely strawberries look, we should resist the temptation of finishing them up before arriving back at home. During farming, due to the constant threat of pests, insects and unsettled weather conditions, fruits and vegetables are often sprayed with pesticides around 15 to 20 times per week with at least 30 different types of pesticides. In addition, some produce are also coated with shelf-life extending wax.
Take for example, The Straits Times reported in 2016 that some 300 batches were stopped from being sold after pesticide residue found on samples exceeded levels allowed by authorities.
These days there is no running away from pesticides. They are on the vegetables, fruits and grains that we eat. They are used to protect crops from pests, and to promote higher yield to meet the needs of the growing global population.
But the amount of contaminants that actually reaches Singaporeans' grocery baskets is extremely small as food safety authorities like the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) have in place strict standards. Food products have to comply with maximum residue limits (MRLs) which are safeguards to protect consumers from toxic levels. Those that exceed the threshold are not allowed for sale.
2. Customers touched fruits with bare hands
Another germ trap is our local supermarket right around the corner. During your next grocery shopping trip, take your time at the fruits department and observe the customers while they pick their fruits. Not rarely will you find people picking up a fruit and smelling them at close proximity or checking the ripeness of the fruit with their dirty hands. It is believed that our own hands contain up to 4,700 different types of bacteria!
However, our hands aren’t the only magnet for germs and dirt: Flies love to lay their eggs in fruit and vegetable boxes! No matter how fresh the fruits and vegetables seem, always take note on how dirty they actually are!
3. Peaches, peppers, potatoes showed most pesticide
According to the Federal Office of Consumer Protection, produce such as peaches, peppers and potatoes showed higher concentrations of pesticides than other fresh produce, making it to the Dirty Dozen list- an overview of the most dangerous contaminants and pesticide residues that can be found on fruits and vegetables.
4. Wash fruits & vegetables for 15 seconds
Yes, it really is as simple as it sounds: wash your fruits and vegetables with cold water. After only 15 seconds of washing, the cold water can reduce up to 98% of the bacteria.
For a thorough cleanse, go for a 30-second rinse followed by a 15-minute soak, and a final rinse will help to remove a significant portion of pesticide residue, said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA).
The vegetables should be soaked in a clean bowl as the sink might contain bacteria. Gently rubbing the surface of your fruits and vegetables while rinsing can also help in removing residue. Particular attention should be paid to the base of vegetable stems since dirt or residue tend to get trapped there.
The AVA said for vegetables that tend to carry more soil, for example kang kong, the lower portion of the vegetables, including the roots, should be trimmed off before washing.
How to wash oranges
For fruits like oranges, peeling is effective for eliminating pesticide residue as most of the residue collects on the surface of fruits. Pesticide residue on fruits in the market are already at very low and safe amounts and a wash will further reduce the level of residue.
How to wash apples & pears
Small, but loaded with vitamins: Apples and pears are undoubtedly a favourite among Singaporeans! Did you know, that most vitamins of these fruits are embedded in the skin? Instead of peeling the fruit, wash it thoroughly, making sure that you are taking in the recommended daily dose of vitamins - and stay really healthy!
How to wash berries & grapes
Soft fruits such as these produce should be washed carefully by soaking them in water instead of washing them under running water. Let the fruit dry on a paper towel after.
How to wash melons, mangoes, avocados
Even if you don’t eat the skin of some fruits and vegetables, the germs and pesticides can reach the fruit pulp while peeling and cutting them through the blade or our hands. Rinse the skin with warm water before preparing your next fruit salad. Another trick to disinfect them: In a spray bottle, mix one tablespoon of white vinegar and one of lemon juice with one cup of water. Spray the mixture on the skin of melon or similar fruits and let them soak for about 10 minutes. Rinse the fruits under water and they are ready to be peeled off.
How to wash potatoes, carrots, squash
Brush away the dirt on vegetables with a vegetable brush. The AVA said root vegetables such as carrot, daikon and potatoes should be scrubbed under running water or in a basin before rinsing and soaking to remove dirt or residue from their surface. You can also peel such root vegetables to further reduce the presence of pesticide residue, said Mrs Tay Su Chin, course manager of the Diploma in Applied Food Science & Nutrition at Temasek Polytechnic's School of Applied Science.
How to wash salads
Should you wash salads that are labelled “washed and ready to eat”? Yes! pre-washed salads are often full of yeasts and mildew, which can cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Let the lettuce soak in cold water, so that minerals won’t be washed away. Then dry the leaves in a salad spinner. Extra tip: Acidic salad dressings can have disinfectant effects! In addition to prior washing, the oil and vinegar salad dressing mixture will reduce the bacterial count on your salad to less than 1 percent!
How to wash mushrooms
It is often said that mushrooms should not be washed as they absorb moisture easily and become waterlogged, affecting their taste when cooked. One way to get around it is to either wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth, or give them a quick rinse just before use to remove the loose bits stuck to the mushrooms, said Mrs Tay.
The AVA said mushrooms can be gently washed under running water and immediately wiped dry. "Some studies have shown that briefly rinsing mushrooms does not cause tangible changes to their taste and texture," it added.
5. Fruit & vegetable cleaning detergents
While washing solutions for vegetables and fruits are sold in the market, promising to get rid of microbes and pesticides, their effectiveness has been a topic of debate. The AVA said: "While some commercial products claim to be specially designed for washing pesticide residues off the surface of fruits and vegetables, there is no international consensus on their effectiveness".
One study by the University of Maine in the United States suggested that distilled water was just as, or even more, effective in removing pesticide residue and microbes compared to three commercial vegetable washes the research team tested. An alternative to distilled water is clean cold tap water.
Part of this article was contributed by Helpling, and The Straits Times.