Washing fruit and veg.

I always wash lettuce even if it says it's been washed.

I dont wash if it says that it has been washed. I do wash other fruit and veg in running water.

I wash anything that isn't to be peeled.

I don't wash it and we are fine!!

If it says washed and ready to eat I don't wash it.

Unless it’s muddy I don’t wash anything.

I rinse fruit and veg, including dried fruit.

Wash everything and catch the run off to for the plants.
I can’t believe my eyes when people put uncooked prepacked veg and fruit straight on the plate.

I buy the ready made salads in containers from Tesco, they say ready to serve, so I never wash them, I`m still alive!

I am with LtEve

I wouldn’t wash the ready to eat salad leaves but always wash iceberg or flat lettuce, I leave it in a bowl of cold slightly salted water for a few minutes then drain & dry in a clean tea towel. The salty water brings out any little creatures that may be lurking!!

I rinse fruit under the tap before eating as you just don’t know what it has been sprayed with. Rare you get a worm or caterpillar in your fruit & veg nowadays though, unless it’s home grown produce.

Ready to eat is usually washed in chlorine (bleach) and not rinsed after.

It is safe as far as food poisoning is concerned but it may affect the taste. Check your guests aren’t allergic to chlorine!

I always wash items like that as it may have been doused in chemicals and I want to be on the safe side.

The trouble with reading Gransnet is that every day I am made aware of what a sloven I am!

I never wash anything that says washed a ready to eat.

Same here Lucky.

Me too Lucky not planning on changing though, I’ve managed this long.

I'm not a washer either.

I would not wash a prepared salad because it has been washed but I would wash fruit or veg under a running tap because I do not know how many grubby hands have touched them and more importantly where those hands have been!

I am constantly amazed that I have managed to live for so long. I eat a lot of salad, my main meal most days, never ever wash any of those 'pillow' packs of lettuce, etc. Nor cucumbers, sometimes remember to rinse peppers under tap, but not always.

I ca remember how horrified I was during the start of the Pandemic, when people seemed to be using an inordinate amount of bleach to wash their shopping - and washing down and isolating for days any package delivered to them. I did none of that. I am concerned as to the amount of bleach going into our waterways.

No wonder there are so many real and imagined food tolerances and allergies around. This mania with over-cleanliness is not doing us any good. Our guts need to have chance to build up their own resistances slowly.

Charleygirl5

I would not wash a prepared salad because it has been washed but I would wash fruit or veg under a running tap because I do not know how many grubby hands have touched them and more importantly where those hands have been!

I agree with this. I could never put unwashed fruit or veg straight in my mouth whilst wondering who has been handling it. Not so bothered with broccoli which I just cut up, put in the saucepan and boil as that will kill anything. It even killed the caterpillar I found on my plate. That's another reason to wash leafy green salad and veg, there may be something wriggling around amongst the leaves.

????

Vinegar and bicarbonate are chemicals, too!

I don’t wash ready-prepared, either. When we lived in W Africa and Indonesia all raw f&v had to be prepared for eating by steeping in chlorinated water (I used Milton). The water wasn’t safe to drink, either.

It’s odd that something we think is so terrible in the developed world is something that saves lives in developing countries.

I gave up on ‘sterilising’ lettuce, though. After fifteen minutes (the mandated time) in chlorine water, it was just a soggy mess. I wasn’t going to spend £20 on an imported Iceberg lettuce so we just did without!

When I worked in airport in flight catering we had to be very careful with the lettuce. It was washed in a big sink and I’m sure we added something to it. I got in such trouble one day wen I cut my finger and ruined a lot of lettuce. They were very careful with lettuce. I’m sure I read years ago that packets of ready washed lettuce were one of the biggest causes of food poisoning so I’ve been very careful with lettuce over the years.

Heck ! I don't wash a thing...
I buy, i chop, throw in a pan, eat.

Salad, I don't wash that either.

Im still here !