Birkbank Farms served as a model farm for the Food Safety Network of the University of Guelph. To learn more about the model farm project, visit the Food Safety Network's model farm website here.

Q&A:
What you should know about
washing fruits and vegetables:

Fresh fruits and vegetables, including lettuce, present unique food safety challenges. Although a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables is actively promoted as the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle, there are risks, they need to be acknowledged, and they need to be managed.

Fruits and vegetables consumed raw are a particular concern for food safety. Washing can decrease but not eliminate contamination. Preventing contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables with microbial pathogens, dangerous levels of chemical residues, or physical contaminants is the most effective strategy to assure that these foods are wholesome and safe for human consumption.

Recently, a number of outbreaks have been traced to fresh fruits and vegetables that were processed under less than sanitary conditions. These outbreaks show that the quality of the water used for washing and chilling the produce after it is harvested is critical. Using water that is not clean can contaminate many boxes of produce. Fresh manure used to fertilize vegetables can also contaminate them. Alfalfa sprouts and other raw sprouts pose a particular challenge, as the conditions under which they are sprouted are ideal for growing microbes as well as sprouts, and because they are eaten without further cooking; this means that a few bacteria present on the seeds can grow to high numbers of pathogens on the sprouts. Un-pasteurized fruit juice can also be contaminated if there are pathogens in or on the fruit that is used to make it.

Washing produce thoroughly with potable running water is considered the best way to remove dirt and residue however fruits and vegetables that have firm surfaces, such as melons, potatoes and carrots can also be scrubbed. Rinsing with vinegar, baking soda, or chlorine bleach can alter the taste of the produce and chlorine bleach may be toxic if too concentrated.

For more food safety information, visit
http://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca
http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca.