Wash your fruits and vegetables

[thyme4change]

At least 285 people in 11 states have been sickened by a parasitic infection commonly linked to fresh produce, and the exact cause of the outbreak has yet to be pinpointed, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

Most of the cyclospora infections have been clustered in the Midwest, with 138 cases reported in Iowa and 70 in neighboring Nebraska. The remainder have been identified in Texas, Georgia, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey and Ohio.

The cause of the illness has not yet been identified, but the parasite is most commonly found in fresh produce, including fruits, vegetables and herbs, grown in tropical and subtropical regions, according to Dr. Barbara Herwaldt, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC.

As a precaution, she encouraged people to thoroughly wash produce before it is eaten to minimize the chance of infection. The CDC also recommends that anyone with cyclosporiasis-like symptoms seek medical treatment and ask to be tested for the parasite.

www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/25/us-usa-infection-cyclospora-idUSBRE96O17G20130725

[Deleted]

Veggies are so yesterday.   You should eat the world's most perfect food, the Big Mac.

[Opti]

I notice it references tropical and subtropical which means it is likely imported fruit,
veggies, or herbs from tropical and subtropical countries. Not sure if that includes Mexico
but I'd be wary of all non US produce then unless it comes from say Italy or New Zealand.

Any guesses on the country or produce involved? I'll go with likely bananas or mangoes.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2013 10:28:11 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

Jul 30, 2013 9:42:54 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

Veggies are so yesterday.   You should eat the world's most perfect food, the Big Mac.

This was on the news yesterday.  Eat locally sourced produce when possible to avoid this possibility. 

Unless you live right next to the farm(s) with this problem.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2013 10:56:25 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

Very true.  But my local newscast is not broadcast in the tropics, near as I can tell.

very true, but this is not the only problem that a farm can have.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2013 11:02:19 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

No, and we have an inovative farm in Manchester Maine called Backyarm Farms that grows tomatoes year round hydroponically in huge green houses covering many acres- very impressive.

Recently however they suffered a huge setback when a tiny pest infested their crop.  Not dangerous, but it does make the tomatoes less than marketable.  They destroyed their entire crop to get rid of the pest.

Farming ain't easy.

It's not what it used to be.

[Abby Normal]

Jul 30, 2013 10:28:11 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

Jul 30, 2013 9:42:54 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

Veggies are so yesterday.   You should eat the world's most perfect food, the Big Mac.

With a Hostess Twinkie for desert!

This was on the news yesterday.  Eat locally sourced produce when possible to avoid this possibility.  I agree, no place better than your own garden.

Just because they are local, doesn't mean something didn't pee on them.  Wash that produce.

[greeniis10]

YES - wash everything!   I do and always have but I cannot seem to convince DH or any of the kids to do so.  Thankfully, no one has gotten sick YET. 

What I've found is that most people don't wash things like watermelon and cantelope where you discard the rind.  But, the kinfe has contact with that dirty rind first, which then contacts the fruit. 

[Deleted]

Is Looney still farming?

[Sam_2.0]

I buy 99% of our produce at Aldi since that's what we can afford right now. I take it home, take it out of the packaging, and wash it all off before putting it in the fridge. I know this makes the produce go bad faster, but it keeps the yucky germs out of my fridge and keeps me from getting those damned fruit flies.

[zibazinski]

I'm terrible with washing fruits or vegetables. It's just a matter of time.....

[Peace Of Mind]

I remember hearing on the news (years ago) that a bunch of people got Hepatitis A from either fruit or veggies.  Nobody could figure out how that happened until they discovered that the fruit and veggie pickers worked long hours out in the fields with no bathrooms. They would poop and pee right where they were working because they didn't want to waste the time of going elsewhere.  I've washed everything ever since hearing that.  

[kittensaver]

I've been using this cleaning protocol for several years:

www.michaelandjudystouffer.com/judy/articles/vinegar.htm

I keep spray bottles under my kitchen sink, ready to go. It works equally well for sanitizing fruits and veges as it does for kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Inexpensive and readily available ingredients. Tested and backed by scientific research. What more could you want?

[Opti]

Regarding canteloupe, I was told by a Wegman's produce guy that canteloupes and some other
melons were put in a water bath before they are put out in the produce section and sold.
In this case, water bath means quick exposure to boilng or just below water for a short period of time.

I run things under water generally if I don't peel whatever it is and sometimes if its something
like carrots I do it anyway. I'm not all that viligant though. I don't want to be so sanitary that
I weaken my immune system.