Do I really need to wash berries before my kid eats the entire container? What are the risks and how big are they? Are the risks near-term (vomiting) or long-term (permanent developmental damage because of pesticides etc.)?
—Lazy but anxious
“Lazy but anxious” is an ideal parenting motto.
Washing berries (or produce in general) removes dirt, bugs, possible other organisms, and pesticides. Eating these things could make your kid sick in the short term (e.g. vomiting). The risks of this are fairly low. Berries that are sold in a store will generally be rinsed in advance to remove any obvious bugs and poop. But in principle it could happen.
In terms of longer-term risks, there are pesticides in most fruit, but (a) the levels are regulated to be low, and (b) washing removes only a small percent of them. There’s no evidence that this food-level pesticide exposure will cause any long-term damage.
To summarize: There is a possible small risk of your child eating poop if you do not rinse the berries. This would, itself, have a small risk of illness. So if you can, rinse the berries. If you can’t, don’t panic.
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Does rinsing with water really cut it, though? How many pathogens are on the food pre- and post-rinse? 5 seconds under running water just doesn’t seem like it would make much of a difference…
I don’t understand why you wouldn’t wash fruit, or veg, before eating it. It really doesn’t take long. It’s not just about pesticides. It’s about all sorts of pathogens. Long ago I read a Dear Abby column about washing bananas (before peeling), since rats poop on them during shipping. Ever since, I’ve washed bananas. Rinsed, really. And greens, and anything I could possibly wash. It just takes a moment. Why not?
I wash everything except raspberries. Washing raspberries just destroys them.
I’m gonna have to disagree with you! We eat so many veggies in our house and washing all of them certainly time consuming! Sounds like you e got the luxury of some extra time!
Because it takes time and I don’t feel like it? It also seems like a waste of water.
I’m so glad to hear this! The sheer quantity of produce we go through these days is staggering and it would be great to not stress so much about washing it all