What’s Lurking On Your Strawberries? Health Risks Revealed

(KMDL-FM) Have you ever been shopping at your favorite grocery store and seen someone grab a grape or a strawberry from the produce case and pop it right into their mouth? There are two reasons why that should bother you if it didn't. First, it's stealing. No, really it is breaking the law.

READ MORE: Have You Ever Tried Deviled Strawberries?

The second reason you should be quite "off put" by that action is that fruit or berry has not been washed. And yes, there are a lot of reasons you wouldn't want to put an unwashed piece of fruit that has been sitting on grocery store shelf in your mouth.

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Popular Berry Brand Sold in Louisiana Under Scrutiny for Pesticide Residue

One of the more popular names in the "berry world" is the Driscoll's. You can find their brands of berries in just about all of South Louisiana's major supermarkets. The Driscoll's brands include strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, blackberries, and I am sure several other varieties.

However, the scrutiny the Driscoll's brand is facing today comes from its strawberry products. The fresh berries were tested by a southern California watchdog group and that group says the company's berries contain at least traces of more than two dozen pesticide chemicals including those that are considered to be PFAS "foreever chemicals".

What's interesting about this finding is that many countries including those of the European Union, Taiwan, Chile, Korea, and even Russia prohibit at least a dozen of the chemicals and pesticides that were found. The United States has no such law or rules governing our food supply as it applies to these chemicals.

And to quote the late pitchman Billy Mays, "But Wait, There's More", washing the strawberries will not completely rid them of the pesticide chemicals, but it will help. It will also help if you know the proper methods for washing strawberries.

READ MORE: 8 Different Ways to Enjoy Louisiana Strawberries 

You can simply run them under a running faucet for about 30 seconds to one minute. This will dislodge a large portion of any debris and help remove some, but not all pesticide and chemical residue. But there are more effective methods.

What Are the Most Effective Ways to Wash Fresh Strawberries?

The baking soda method is quite popular among many fruit and veggie lovers. The berries should be submerged in a solution of four cups water and two tablespoons baking soda for a few minutes, up to 15, then rinsed before serving.

The vinegar wash method suggests you soak the berries in a solution of one part white vinegar to three parts water for between five and ten minutes. Then rinse with fresh water before serving.

The Environmental Protection Agency suggests that the chemicals, such as those found in the Driscoll's Strawberries could lead to adverse health outcomes. However the research is still ongoing and not yet conclusive. Scientist are still trying to understand and determine the long-term effects exposure to these chemicals could have on humans.