Vegetable Cleaners Views

General Goods

Proctor & Gamble (P&G) plans to introduce two new fruit and vegetable cleaners, one for home use and one for food service operations. Fit Fruit and Vegetable Wash, slated to be available in April, removes up to 93 percent of wax, 95 percent of handling residues and is 98 percent more effective than water at removing pesticides, according to the company. All of the ingredients are from natural sources or found in everyday foods, including baking soda, citric acid and grapefruit oil. The commercial product, Professional Line Fit Antibacterial Produce Cleaner, is scheduled for summer release. In addition to removing dirt, chemicals and handling residues, the company claims the product helps reduce harmful bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria from cut, chopped, sliced and other processed products.

Washing fruits and vegetables with commercial vegetable cleaners or simply soap and water removes most contaminants, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends other measures for more serious problems like urban flooding. Even on high ground, fill dirt in housing developments could be rich in heavy metals or tainted by building materials. Gardeners who follow correct procedures when working in tainted soil still grow usable crops. Making the produce safe for the table requires extra precautions.

Truthfully, I never really gave a second thought to how many people might have handled my food before I brought it home to my family. And what about pesticides? Waxy residue? Sure I knew they were there but I was washing it off with water. Wasn’t I? What could I do to ensure that everything that wasn’t meant to be eaten was actually removed from my food before I ate it? I had once heard someone tell me to soak fruits and vegetables for a few minutes in warm water mixed with a teaspoon of salt. I was also familiar with all natural citrus based household cleaners. So when I learned that citric acid and sea salt were listed as ingredients of all natural Eat Cleaner Grab-n-Go Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Wipes, I decided to give them a try.

The makers of these new cleaners partially disclose their ingredients. Polysorbate 20 is a common ingredient which is sugar naturally derived from fruits. OK, before they derived the sorbate how did they cleanse their fruit. The real question is, which comes first.. the fruit or the cleaner? Remember 90% of produce has residue. Other ingredients are listed as surfactants/cleansing agents and said to be a trade secret. Yeah, well I gotta secret too, but I wouldn't want to wash my vegetables in it.