Just when we thought that the whole food-borne contamination epidemic was behind us, we read this horrifying article from Newsweek about how Americans are getting sicker than ever from fresh produce. Even if they wash it first.
Americans are eating more leafy greens than ever. Consumption rose 9 percent between 1996 and 2005, according to a report issued this week by the Centers for Disease Control. But the bad news is that leafy-green-associated outbreaks of foodborne illnesses went up much more: 39 percent since 1996.
Researchers say they are not sure exactly why the rate of illness has increased more than consumption, but they do note that many foodborne disease outbreaks can be traced to a local food preparation source. Of course, in outbreaks that were widespread, the contamination was likely to have originated at the farm or in the processing plant. (Think of the 2006 recall of spinach due to E. coli contamination that was traced back to the farms where it was grown.)
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is washing produce in tap water alone enough to make it safe, or should we be doing more?
"Washing is an important step, and it helps, but it can't guarantee elimination of contamination," says Trevor Suslow, an agriculture extension specialist at the University of California at Davis. Pathogens and bacteria can almost glue themselves onto produce and can get into wrinkles, openings or small cuts. That said, Suslow and other experts say it's far better to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, just washed at home, than to forgo them. "The benefits of a diverse diet far outweigh the very, very small risk of consuming contaminated products."
What do the food safety experts do? They wash their produce in running tap water-and eat up. For example, Al Bushway, professor of food science at the University of Maine, uses a spray nozzle on his kitchen faucet to clean lettuce and a vegetable brush to clean apples. He doesn't use chlorine washes, since they give at best a "slight" reduction in microbial load. (If you really want to use chlorine, mix a tablespoon of it with a gallon of water, then rinse it off afterward.)
But wait, there's more! Experts say you should wash the outside of fruit, even if you're going to peel it before you eat it. Melons and bananas can be covered in E.coli (great!), which can be transferred to your hands and then to your mouth. We did know that about cantaloupe -- in fact, we stopped eating it after we read that it's usually covered in manure (fertilizer, don't you know) so you have to wash and scrub like crazy before peel it and cut it up. Too much trouble, good bye fresh cantaloupe. As as for fresh pineapple, that's just waaaay too much trouble. But we know one gourmand who whips out her machete and gleefully attacks the fresh pineapple. Then we just steal some of hers.
