Do You Wash Fruit?

[boxtops]

A visitor told me the other day that she'd always been told to wash fruit in hot water, to remove germs. Hot water would surely affect the fruit, I'd never heard of that before.

I never wash fruit, unless it's visibly grubby. IMO, we are far too "protected" from a few germs these days, my grandma used to say that you have to eat four pounds of dirt in your lifetime (but preferably not all at once).

What (if anything) do you do?

[shaneystar2]

The Birds Eye factory is long gone .I used to go out with a chap who worked there many moons ago .He said any peas that accidentally spilled out of the hopper onto the floor were scooped up and put back in again .

[Ken4155]

^^^

I'd hazard a guess at Great Yarmouth:-)

[ethandron]

I worked in a cornflake factory in my youth and the same thing happened there...brushed up and put back on the conveyor belt, packed into boxes and sent on their way.

[shaneystar2]

I don't live in Great Yarmouth .

[DTCwordfan]

indeed, you may be correct, ken.

where are the tainted peas made now?

[DTCwordfan]

shaney is way out of that hell hole called Great Yarmouth - seagulls fly over it upside down as there's nothing worth crapping on now.

[Ken4155]

Neither do i, shaney:-)

Tainted Peas? Was that not a hit for Soft Cell, back in the day?

[boxtops]

naomi, believe me, we all have to do the infection control training (at different levels, according to our involvement, and mine is basic awareness only about hand washing, sharps, etc.) - so don't be astonished, there's no need. Who am I advising? - I'm only stating what I've done all my life, and my parents before me - we wash off mud, or other obvious dirt, but I wouln't routinely wash fruit before I eat it.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Naomi, I think your view is a little blinkered if you don't mind me saying.
The human body needs exposure to bacteria to build an immunity to the danger presented, That's how vaccines work after all.
When my immune system was seriously compromised, on purpose to keep me alive, no-one came onto my ward without using the buzzer and the handgel that was available to everybody,
Cleaners with colds were told to move to other wards, and visitors were monitored.
I was on a ward where the slightest infection could have killed me or anyone there, however this is an unusual event.
For the most part, and for most people exposure to bacteria should be positively encouraged, or how does anyone suppose our bodies will have the tools to fight it?
I would love to see a ban on this ridiculous culture of killing every "germ" in sight. I think our next generation would be healthier if we did this.

[shaneystar2]

Hull.They used to do peas at Lowestoft but lost the contract.

[askyourgran]

I wash all fruit and veg plus all salad stuff before it is eaten in cold water. Bananas/oranges are peeled so I don't wash them. I'm told that even pre-washed salad and veg could harbour salmonella and a lot of our veg and fruit are sprayed with chemicals against bugs and treated for a longer shelf life so I'm wary of what we eat.

[shaneystar2]

My husband has got a stoma and my digestion is dodgy with IBS .The last thing we need are upset tums from unwashed food .

[naomi24]

Mojo, //Naomi, I think your view is a little blinkered if you don't mind me saying. //

I don't mind you saying at all - but my views are not blinkered. I'm more than happy to see children making mud pies - dirt is certainly good for us - but the wrong kind of dirt is not good for us - and there is a distinction.

[sandyRoe]

I used to peel it. But life's too short to peel grapes so I just rinse them under the tap now.

[naomi24]

Boxy, I remain astonished.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Naomi, dirt becomes the wrong kind of dirt if we avoid it.
Telling parents to avoid giving their children peanut butter is a case in point for me, especially as I heard the latest "cure" on the radio involved them gradually introducing peanut butter.
If you are so ill that your immune system is compromised, there is not much anyone can do to help. but if your immunity is strong to begin with, I think you stand a fighting chance

[naomi24]

Mojo, //dirt becomes the wrong kind of dirt if we avoid it. //

Not necessarily. Exposure to some kinds of 'dirt' doesn't make us immune - it makes us ill and regardless of the exposure it will always make us ill.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

I accept that Naomi, however I still hold that if you have a good immune system to begin with, you stand a better chance and that comes from exposure to bacteria, not avoidance.

[naomi24]

Mojo, I agree absolutely that we must be exposed to bacteria - just not the kind that our bodies are not equipped to combat. Why willingly consume stuff that may harm us? We are exposed to bacteria all the time - but that doesn't stop us (or most of us hopefully) washing our hands after visiting the loo. If we assume your blanket stance, why bother?

Got to go to bed. Night all. x

[boxtops]

I still don't understand what astonishes you, naomi. OK I work in the NHS, but others here work in food environments, etc - we know about common food hygiene, e coli, MRSA, and so on. Personally (and obviously many others agree with me, in whole or in part) - I still don't see any need to wash fruit - or most veg, come to that.