Should you wash strawberries?

In the summer they are widely available: strawberries! Delicious with cottage cheese or on bread, but also just a bowl of strawberries tastes good. If you search online about whether you should wash strawberries, you will find various answers. For example, you should wash them with lukewarm water or water with salt and/or vinegar. We put the question to Patricia Schutte of the Nutrition Center.

Do you have to wash strawberries before eating them or can you eat them unwashed?

“It is wise to wash fruit and vegetables under the tap before eating them. This also applies to strawberries. You then rinse off any dirt and dust. Sometimes raw vegetables and raw fruit can contain bacteria, such as salmonella and listeria. These can cause a food infection. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen often. Although you can’t always wash off all bacteria, you reduce the chance that you will get a food infection.”

Tip

Wash strawberries just before eating them. You can keep them longer in the fridge if they have not been washed and the crown is still on.

And if you wash them, is it better to do it with cold or lukewarm water?

“Washing strawberries well under running cold water is enough.”

Did you wash off used pesticides with water or do you have to wash fruit with vinegar?

“The risks of pesticide residues found on fruit are negligible, if they are found at all. Washing fruit, for example with vinegar, does not remove pesticides. That is sometimes claimed, but it is not true. washing fruit properly removes dirt and dust, with potentially pathogenic bacteria.”

If you get a red rash after eating strawberries, is it because of the strawberries or the pesticides?

“We are not aware that a red rash is caused by pesticide residues. An allergic reaction to strawberries is a possibility.”

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