At the intersection of worrying about being infected by the coronavirus and what to do about groceries brought into the house, some are washing their produce with soapy water — even bleach or vinegar solutions — to try to kill the virus and other germs that may be on their food.
Doing this, however, could make people sick, so most health professionals and agencies advise against washing fruits and vegetables with soap or cleaning-solutions.
The United States Department of Agriculture warns that people should not wash fruits and vegetables with detergent or soap. If the soap or detergent is not completely removed, it can cause stomach issues and make people sick.
The USDA says to wash produce under cold running water to remove any lingering dirt. This reduces bacteria that may be present, according to the agency.
“Those soaps and detergents are designed for washing hands or for washing dishes and they’re not designed for washing food,” Don Schaffner, a food science professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey, told USA Today. “If you don’t get it all off it might cause an upset stomach.”
The FDA offers some tips for washing fruits and vegetables, including:
• Wash your hands before and after preparing fresh produce
• Cut away any bruised or damaged parts of produce
• Rinse produce before you peel it
• Gently rub produce under running water to clean it
• Use a vegetable brush for firmer produce
• Dry produce with clean cloth or paper towel
• Remove outer leaves of lettuce or cabbage
In general, most say the chance of transmission of the coronavirus through groceries is minimal.
“I don’t believe that there’s any evidence that people need to do anything special with their groceries other than what they would’ve done in any other situation,” Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician Dr. Amesh Adalja said last week.
