Foods you aren’t washing, but should

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases annually in the U.S. Produce accounts for 46% of those cases and germs on fresh produce, such as listeria, salmonella and E. coli, are frequent sources of infection.

One potential source of contamination that you may overlook is the rind or skin that you don’t eat that’s on fruits such as melons, avocados and oranges and other citrus. Their surfaces can carry bacteria that are transferred onto edible inner flesh when you cut through them. One FDA study found listeria on the skin of almost 18% of avocados tested.

The smart move is to scrub all uncut firm produce, such as potatoes, avocados, citrus, cucumbers and melons with a clean brush under running tap water. Other fruits and vegetables can be effectively cleaned by rinsing with cold, running water. When done washing, dry on a clean paper towel.

Do not wash any produce with soap, bleach, sanitizer, alcohol, disinfectant or other commercial produce washers or chemicals. You’ll potentially do yourself a lot more harm than good. FYI: Salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice and lime juice are not effective at removing germs on produce.

As for “pre-washed” greens or other produce, research shows you do not need to wash that at all. If you do, you risk introducing contamination that, say, lurks in your sink. It can get there from raw meat products, even if you don’t wash them — which you should not do.