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+--- Thread: Article Here’s why washing fruits and vegetables matters more than you think (/thread-19118.html)
Here’s why washing fruits and vegetables matters more than you think - C C - Nov 4, 2025
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-and-nutrition-environment-you-asked/organic-doesnt-mean-clean-heres-why-washing-fruits-and-vegetables-matters-more-you-think
EXCERPTS: Before we get started, it is important to understand what it means when something is grown organically. Lots of home gardens are organic because they do not use artificial pesticides or fertilizers. So, by that logic, organic just means pesticide free, right? Wrong. According to Canada’s Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), certain pesticides may be used in organic crop production. However, these products can only be used if all other organic practices have failed. Such practices include crop rotation, when different crops are grown seasonally to avoid the same species of crops being grown in the same place year-round; barrier usage; or trap crops, which attract pests away from the target crop.
If none of these organic methods of crop preservation work, farmers are allowed to use certain pest control agents such as biologicals (beneficial insects or microbes), botanicals (plant-based insecticides), or certain minerals (such as sulfur) to deter pests. However, these substances must be listed on what can only be seen as the official organic shopping list for farmers: Table 4.2, Column 1 or 2 of CAN/CGSB-32.311, meaning that they have the CFIA’s approval to be used in organic crop production. If farmers use these products, they must keep a log of not only which of the substances they used, but also why they were unable to use organic control methods.
[...] Just because your produce has a flashy organic sticker on it, doesn’t mean that it is pesticide-free, it just means that specialized types of pesticides that occur in nature are used rather than synthetic ones.
Even though pesticides get a bad rap, when it comes to food poisoning in the traditional sense, they are not to blame. While many people get hung up on pesticides – it is important not to forget that harmful bacteria exist too. Even when pesticides are used, whether they be natural or synthetic, bacterial contamination is still a looming threat. Organic produce is certainly no exception.
Bacterial pathogens can infect fresh produce through a number of pathways, including contaminated manure, water, and/or soil. Once these pathogens are introduced into the growing environment, they can establish colonies on the produce and spread. Many of these pathogens are household names such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. Bacterial contamination can be nearly impossible to detect with the naked eye. Even if you think your garden is safe, say your water source has been unknowingly contaminated, or an infected animal has used your beautiful garden as a bathroom, it is a good practice to always wash your produce, home grown or not... (MORE - missing details)