If you’re like most of us, you likely give a quick wash to your apples, peaches, or grapes before taking a bite, assuming that a splash of water will rinse away the pesticides. It seems like a clever, healthy routine.
But new research is cutting against what we used to believe about food safety, and it turns out washing may not be accomplishing what we’d assumed.
Recent research is showing that pesticides aren’t just on the surface of your produce. They permeate the skin and travel into the flesh. Yes, you read that correctly—those toxins we’re attempting to wash away are deeper than we realize.
One study, published in Nano Letters, really highlighted this. With high-tech imaging, researchers discovered that pesticides can seep into the outer layer of fruits such as apples, so even scrubbing thoroughly won’t get past the chemicals that have infiltrated.
When they examined apples in detail, they noticed the pesticides had migrated through the skin and into the pulp. So a good rinse under the tap, as thorough as you make it, simply isn’t enough.
So what does work? Based on the researchers, peeling your fruit is much more effective. That is, getting rid of not only the skin, but a portion of the flesh underneath as well. Dongdong Ye, a professor at Anhui Agricultural University and co-author of the study, said that this is the most surefire method of eradicating almost all pesticide residue.
The goal isn’t to scare people off fruits and vegetables, but if you’re concerned about pesticides, peeling is a smarter move than washing.
This isn’t a lab problem either. Consumer Reports examined USDA data and discovered that approximately 20% of fruits and vegetables contained pesticide levels they deemed to be risky. That’s way higher than the USDA’s figures, which state that 99% of produce sampled falls within legal safety levels. Consumer Reports contends, however, that those levels may be too low to adequately safeguard our well-being.
Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumer Reports, boiled it down: “This is more science demonstrating that, sure enough, there are issues. Don’t assume that washing is going to be the answer.”
So, the next time you’re chopping fruit, it may be worth the effort to peel it, particularly if you’re careful about limiting exposure to chemicals. I know, it’s a little more work. But when you think about what may be lurking below the surface, it just may be the effort you need to make.
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