After reading that the chances of James Bond dodging the 4,662 bullets fired at him during his film career and surviving is a miniscule 0.954662 I came to the conclusion that the storylines might not be based on reality and certainly aren’t evidence-based. But after recovering from that shocking revelation, my eye was drawn across the page of the New Scientist to a story titled ‘Bug wash’.
The letter from a reader asks whether washing fruit and veg is successful in removing contamination. In summary, the two responses say that washing can reduce contamination but won’t get rid of 100% of it. This is consistent with our recent campaign reminding people that vegetables are ‘best served washed’– and this simple task, along with handwashing and proper cleaning to stop bugs spreading, could be all that’s needed to reduce bacterial levels enough to avoid a bout of food poisoning.
While washing veg in the home has some positive effects on reducing contamination, the methods employed by food businesses before pre-washed veg reaches our kitchens are likely to be more effective. We have lots of great data, but if you’ve got any insights into what you think are the most effective washing methods please share them - the more information the better.