The Walking Germs: Getting onto the track of bacteria 

Racking up the air miles, fruits and vegetables travel thousands of miles before they end up on market shelves. To extend their shelf life, they are often sprayed with a toxic cocktail of pesticides and coated with wax, which can often cause stomach cramps, headaches, or even food poisoning.

During your next shopping trip, take a little time to observe other customers buying their fruit and vegetables. You will often witness other customers picking up produce and smelling them at close proximity whilst checking the ripeness of the produce. It is believed that our hands contain up to 4700 different types of bacteria.

Keeping fruits and vegetables clean

• Wash your hands with warm soapy water before and after preparing food.
• Clean your countertop, cutting boards, and utensils after peeling produce and before cutting and chopping. Bacteria from the outside of raw produce can be transferred to the inside when it is cut or peeled. Wash kitchen surfaces and utensils with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item.
• Do not wash produce with soaps or detergents, use dedicated vegetable cleaners.
• Use clean potable cold water to wash items.
• For produce with thick skin, use a vegetable brush to help wash away hard-to-remove microbes.
• Produce with a lot of nooks and crannies like cauliflower, broccoli or lettuce should be soaked for 1 to 2 minutes in cold clean water.
• Some produce such as raspberries should not be soaked in water. Put fragile produce in a colander and spray it with distilled water.
• After washing, dry with a clean paper towel. This can remove more bacteria.
• Eating on the run? Fill a spray bottle with distilled water and use it to wash apples and other fruits.
• Don’t forget that homegrown, farmers market, and grocery store fruits and vegetables should also be well washed.
• Do not rewash packaged products labeled “ready-to-eat,” “washed” or “triple washed.”
• Once cut or peeled, refrigerate as soon as possible at 40ºF or below.
• Do not purchase cut produce that is not refrigerated.

A product like Veg wash prime is ideal in such uncertain situations. It is formulated as a disinfectant for fresh and uncut fruits and vegetables. It can also be used for disinfecting food contact surfaces like kitchen tables, cutting tools and kitchen platforms. Its ingredients are food grade and safe. It also increases the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. It reduces surface pesticides, kills germs, removes dirt & dust, increases shelf life. 

Check the product here