your article about washing fruits/vegies doesn't give any "scientific" answer. The FDA is unreliable at best. I have been using a "produce" wash or white vinegar in water. Do you have any information on how either of these methods/products works?

Thanks for your comment, Alison. Unfortunately, part of the problem here is a lack of data. Because the FDA hasn't researched the efficacy or possible side effects of produce washes (neither, of course, have we), we can't recommend them. There's a possibility that residue from the wash left on the produce could be toxic.

As for white vinegar, there are no numbers for that either -- but white vinegar is known for its anti-microbial properties, so if a diluted-vinegar rinse makes your salad easier to swallow then I'd say go for it.

The University of Main posts valuable information on this topic at http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4336.htm. Based on their research, they recommend soaking produce in distilled water for 1-2 minutes. They tested commercial produce washes, and found no benefit over the use of distilled water.

Thanks, Daniel! That's a great link. It's interesting that they chose to compare the produce washes to a 1-2 minute soak in (distilled) water.

RE: veggie & fruit washes: for years,i have felt confident in the info i heard that E-COLI & SALMONELLA, as well as waxes & other residues are neutralized by bathing items in a bowl of water, as pure as possible, and "A SWIG" of un-filtered APPLE CIDER VINEGAR... the key is the concentration of the "mother" floating in the un-filtered variety... 2 minutes to soak, then a bathing rinse in pure water.. only wash what you plan to eat within 12-18 hours, as wilting will occur on more delicate veggies... "sunrider" PRODUCTS CLAIM THEY HAVE THE BEST WASH PRODUCT, BUT I LIKE THIS OLD-SCHOOL basic for availability & cost... research? ... can't YOU as an ADVOCATE MAKE THE CONTACTS WITH GROUPS & GET THESE IDEAS TESTED & DOCUMENTED?.. PLEASE DO THAT!

--
in truth, love, peace & gratitude,
april

The bottom line is that you cannot get rid of pesticides on fruits and vegetables by simply washing them.

The only way to reduce your risk is to go 100% organic.

Why doesn't someone do some tests. I mean, of all the STUPID research ideas they spend millions on, why not test something like how to wash fruits and veggies that impacts every person 2 to 10 times a day, for Pete's sake!

A couple of months ago I heard a piece on NPR about a study on commercial fruit/veggie washes. While they didn't test plain water alone, they tested fancy veggie wash vs. white vinegar vs. a quick polish with a cloth. The vinegar cleaned the best, and also had anti-microbial effects. So I'm using white vinegar followed by a water rinse now.

my green leafy veggies I wash them in a solution of lime juice and organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar religiously. If there is a lot of grit, I'll add a drop of dish detergent to that solution. Other times, I'll soak veggies like okra in vinegar and water for a couple of minutes. Fruits and veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. I usually do a quick wash off with dish detergent and water and I make sure there is no residue. Of course I don't know if there is some residue microscopically, but it helps it all to go down, mentally. Hopefully testing can be done on our produce to determine if toxic pesticides can indeed be removed and how. I totally agree with Brittany...thanks!!!

Mmmhmm, I completely agree that the FDA should be testing this stuff. There's a lot of stuff they should be testing that they aren't -- like the chemicals in our personal care products. That's why we need federal chemical policy reform.

One simple ingredient that may help rinse pesticides off, or even oxidize them into inactive forms, is plain old hydrogen peroxide. It can help oxidize the organic molecules in pesticides, its bubbling action can help lift off dirt and grime, and it eve breaks down to just oxygen and water. Since it is water soluble, it rinses off completely.

What about the pesticides they now but into the genes of the food that are part of the very fiber of the food (i.e. like putting bacteria genes into corn that crystalize in the guts of grubs that eat corn in genetically modified corn)?

I stay away from corn and soy now, but this G.M. food is expanding.

This is the scariest to me since now with some crops the food item IS the herbicide/pesticide.

Here's a link to get a glimpse-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1TOss9Mslw&feature=related

We need to get this out of our environment.

Re: Washing fruits and vegies that are not organically grown. Use a large receptical or pot - fill halfway with filtered water, or authentic spring water, add a heaping spoon of Kosher salt, 1/8 cup lemong juice (this mixture creates hydrochloric acid). This combination of "do-it-yourself home remedy" works better than store bought washes. I generally add, for additional protection, if there is such a thing - 3 Tbsps vinegar, and 3 Tbsps of pharmaceutical grade hydrogen peroxide. For fragile fruits and veggies, such as lettuces, or soft skinned fruit like peaches, etc. two minutes is long enough for a wash. The harder skinned items such as apples, Qs, tomatoes, etc. for 5-minutes.
After this wash, rinse thoroughly with filtered water, pat dry with a clean dish cloth. It is well advised to peel those food items with skins on them. As for the more perishable ones like leafy or tender vegies, wash only before consuming, and only what you intend to eat at the tiem. Pat dry with a paper towel or cloth.
Additonally, if you consume ORGANIC fruits and vegies, wash them as well with filtered water and vinegar and rinse clean just before consumption. This cleans off the grit and any tiny creatures left on them. If you can afford to pay a little extra, buy ORGANIC. IT IS HEALTHIER FOR YOUR BODY.

Hey All,

For those of you suggesting that eating organic produce solves the pesticide problem, I've got some bad news. While it's true that organic veggies and fruits have less pesticide residue, synthetic pesticides persist in the soil -- even beyond the three years a farm must wait to be certified organic. So yes, PLEASE make sure to wash (and peel, where relevant) ALL your fruits and veggies -- even the organic ones.

Also, I personally wouldn't use hydrogen peroxide to wash my produce -- it's linked to neurotoxicity, organ toxicity, and cancer, and its use is restricted in Canadian lip products. Here's the Skin Deep report for that ingredient.

Yes. FDA's reluctance to recommend commercial produce washes sounds lame. Which risk would you choose?---

One brand, at least, [Healthy Harvest] has been extensively tested for efficacy in university settings using testing protocols established by the FDA itself! The highest rate of removal of pesticides in their Electron Capture Gas Chromatography analysis was greater than 95%. The overall average was more than 90%, when a known amount of 13 chlorinated pesticides was applied to the surface of apples under simulated field conditions. One half of each fruit was simply sprayed with water, the other with the special wash. The special wash left a mere 5% or less residual pesticide matrix as compared to 32% or so residue from plain water rinsing. That's a statistically significant spread, if you ask me. The wash consists of only two ingredients throroughly tested for safety: purified water and a food grade, non-ionic surfactant prepared from polyether alcohol, without unnnecessary additives (colors, fragrance or flavor). If you ingested a full bottle of the stuff, the misuse of such product would cause no more than an upset stomach. And the FDA is worried about 'protecting' us from a slight film on our produce? I'll take that risk over pesticide residue any day! Maybe there's a less salubrious agenda on FDA's part than we are given to think?

Do I have to rinse veggies and fruits off only after freezing them for 2 hours to avoid intake?

DID I MISS SOMETHING OR WAS THERE PART OF THIS DISCUSSION THAT INVOLVED ULTRASONIC CLEANING & IT'S EFFECTIVENESS- I'D LOVE TO HEAR OPINIONS ON THIS, THANKS