Washing our produce has taken on a new meaning in today’s world. Not only do germs and dirt need to be cleansed, but now many items in your market have pharmaceutical products on them like steroids and even chemotherapy agents! Drug companies are making transdermal creams a more common delivery mechanism for patients. Good for the patient using it ---Bad for all of us that are inadvertently getting poisoned!!
So,1st step for me at a grocery store is to dis-infect the shopping cart handle. I use alcohol wipes https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pdi+sani+hands+wipes&crid=30A46BITSXMD4&ref=nb_sb_ss_shopnav-of-top_0. Or make your own with rubbing alcohol, paper towel, and baggies.
These are much less toxic than Purell or other disinfectants at store entrances.
Once home, it is imperative that the food is cleaned or kept in a segregated area. The system I have developed includes cleaning most items before I place them in the fridge. If I don’t have time I leave it in a bag.
There are many ways and products to disinfect and cleanse your produce. My favorite is using 3% Food-grade Hydrogen peroxide.
or I dilute a 12% bottle
Here’s a handy link to know how to make the dilutions: https://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com/Concentrations-of-hydrogen-peroxide.html
I keep the Hydrogen peroxide mixture in a spray bottle and simply spray my food in the sink, let it sit for few minutes and then rinse and let dry. For leafy veggies like parsley or lettuce: I use a salad spinner or colander and spray the food from many angles, rinse well, and spin it dry. I store the greens in Ziploc bags and knowing they are already clean helps speed up prep.
You can also scrub most items with dish soap. Don’t forget to wash bananas, avocados, oranges, melons etc. Cutting into an unwashed item can drive germs and toxins into the food too.
