Stacey Koziel
Most of us recognize the importance of washing our fruits and vegetables when we bring them home from the store or farmer’s market. Things like dirt and pesticides aren’t exactly what you want to put into your body. But, have you ever thought about how gross produce really is?
According to a viral TikTok video, the answer is that your unwashed produce is, in fact, pretty gross.
Content creator @howdirtyis tests various surfaces and items on TikTok to discover just how dirty they are. That’s exactly what they did with produce. The creator swabbed green onions and tomatoes right from the grocery store product aisle and then added the samples to Petri dishes.
After allowing the samples to sit in storage, the creator pulls the dishes out to reveal that tons of bacteria and microorganisms have grown. And it’s enough to make you triple-wash your tomatoes.
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♬ Summer day - TimTaj
The bacterial growth could be from a variety of things—including existing bacteria and pesticides on the produce—but what it really shows is the sheer amount of people in the average grocery store touching fruits and veggies before you bring them home.
Or, maybe someone brushed against the stand with green onions with a dirty coat. Maybe a toddler with a cold ran their hand over…everything.
That doesn’t mean you should stop buying delicious fruits and vegetables. But, the next time you bring some fresh produce home, give it a good scrub with your hands or a brush while holding it underwater. Don’t just run it under the kitchen faucet for a few seconds. Even items with a peel need to be scrubbed on the outside, since bacteria can get into the flesh when it’s opened.
Essentially, just be sure you’re practicing good produce hygiene and never eat produce without washing it first.
