University of Georgia experts say some produce washes are moreeffective at removing harmful pathogens from fresh fruits andvegetables than the chlorine rinses the food industry uses.Larry Beuchat, a microbiologist with the UGA College of Agriculturaland Environmental Sciences, has tested many produce washes inhis Griffin, Ga., lab.”I’ve tested produce washes that are currently on themarket and some that are in the developmental stages,” Beuchatsaid. “Some are as good as water when used to remove pathogenicbacteria from a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Some areperhaps even better than chlorine, which is used fairly extensivelyin the produce industry to wash fresh-cut produce.”Tested on Lettuce, Tomatoes, Apples andAlfalfa SproutsBeuchat says Fit, a Procter and Gamble product, worked wellin lab tests. “Fit performs as well as high levels of chlorinewhen used to remove populations of bacteria on lettuce, tomatoes,apples and alfalfa seeds intended for sprouts,” he said.”The science is there to prove it removes these pathogens,”he said. “But Procter and Gamble can’t state that on theproduct label until they get EPA and FDA approval to do so.”But should you add Fit or other produce washes to your shoppingcart? Beuchat said it’s your decision.”Whether you buy produce washes is a matter of personalchoice,” he said. “If you are concerned about pathogenicmicroorganisms on your produce, I would recommend buying it. Ihaven’t tested all the products on the market. But in my experience,it does as good a job as chlorinated water and sometimes better.”Pesticide ResiduesProduce-wash manufacturers label their products as effectiveat removing pesticides. But UGA foods and nutrition specialistsdon’t recommend buying the washes solely for this reason.”In the United States, there’s very little produce withpesticide residues anywhere near the allowed tolerance levels,”said Elizabeth Andress, an Extension Service food safety specialist with the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “It would be hard to find detectable levels of pesticide residues on our fruits and vegetables even if you went looking for them.”Andress said the FDA safeguards fresh produce by monitoringpesticide residues at wholesale and retail levels.”If you use a produce wash, you may be reducing the levelsof pesticide residues. But the levels were nowhere near harmfulto begin with,” she said.If you just want cleaner produce, Andress recommends washingproduce under running water.”Tests show produce washes do apparently make producea little bit cleaner,” Andress said. “But I would personallyquestion whether they are worth the extra cost.”Don’t Soak Produce in WashesDespite the introduction of produce washes, UGA foods specialistsstill recommend cleaning fruits and vegetables under running water.”What slightly concerns me is the way these products areapplied,” Andress said. “To clean produce, you haveto soak the food in the produce wash. Soaking produce can damagethe quality. I hope people don’t let their fruits and vegetablessit in these solutions, thinking, ‘the longer it soaks, the better.'”Aside from cleaning produce and removing pesticides and pathogens,produce washes claim to remove wax.”Even if the product does remove wax, these are food-gradewaxes that aren’t harmful,” Andress said. “They’re alreadyapproved for food use.”Produce washes have many uses. But as with other products,shoppers will ultimately determine their success.”We aren’t telling people produce washes aren’t safe touse, because that’s not true,” Andress said. “They areeffective. But to me, it’s more of an economic issue. Is the costreally worth it? It depends on whether you want to pay for theadded safeguard.”
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