October 10, 2024, 10:54 am | Read time: 3 minutes
We all know that fruit and vegetables are part of a healthy diet. However, an often neglected question arises: how should we wash these foods to ensure that they are really clean?
From grime at farmers’ markets to pesticide residues from agricultural practices, the surfaces of produce are often more contaminated than one might assume. However, the question remains: Is washing with tap water sufficient, or is a stronger method necessary? Washing fruits and vegetables with baking soda is a commonly recommended practice. But is it really that helpful? Researchers have already looked into this topic in a study.
How to wash fruit and vegetables
Whether you use baking soda or not, you should always wash fruit and vegetables before eating them. In conventional agriculture, pesticides are often used to protect plants from pests and diseases. Of course, you don’t want these in your own body. Baking powder, which consists of baking soda, among other things, can be particularly helpful here.
A study by the University of Massachusetts, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, investigated the effectiveness of washing fruit and vegetables with baking soda. The researchers tested whether washing with baking soda is more effective or whether rinsing under running water is sufficient.
In this study, the researchers tested three methods: apples were washed under running water, with baking soda (NaHCO3), and with chlorine bleach. Washing under tap water can remove the majority of pesticides. However, washing with baking soda was the most effective. The researchers explained, “In practice, washing apples with NaHCO3 can remove most of the pesticides from the surface.”
However, the baking soda variant also takes significantly longer. In order for the majority of the pesticides to disappear, the fruit or vegetables must be soaked in baking soda for 15 minutes. If you don’t have enough time, you can wash them under running tap water. It is also important to dry the fruit afterward with a clean cloth.
Another reason why pesticides are so problematic
Many people associate the word “pesticides” with negative things. And that is correct. According to the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), pesticides can cause cancer and even affect the genome. Beyond the risks to human health, pesticides pose a severe threat to insect populations. BUND says: “They no longer find food or nesting places in landscapes without flowering meadows, hedges and wooded islands.” This is because herbicides, like glyphosate, eliminate all flowering plant species.
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Which varieties are particularly contaminated
This raises the question of whether all types of fruits and vegetables are equally contaminated with pesticides or if there are notable differences. According to the consumer advice center, perishable varieties such as berries, apricots, and tomatoes are more heavily contaminated. More robust varieties such as cabbage and carrots are less affected.
In the researchers’ study, the baking soda bath removed 80 percent of the preservative thiabendazole and 96 percent of the broad-spectrum insecticide phosmet (no longer approved in the EU since May 2022). Finally, it should be noted that neither the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) nor the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) explicitly mention baking soda. However, both institutions recommend washing fruit and vegetables thoroughly under running water.