- GUELPH (CP) - It's harvest
time. Bushels full of fresh apples, melons, peppers and squash are being
gathered from farmers' fields and brought to dinner tables across the
country.
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- And because Canadians consume as much as 210 kilograms
of fruits and vegetables per capita per year, the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency is reminding consumers to wash their fresh produce carefully before
digging in.
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- Rene Cardinal, chief of fresh-products inspection at
the agency's Food of Plant Origin Division, says fresh fruits and
vegetables
need to be washed and, if possible, scrubbed, to reduce the risk of
contamination.
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- "Fresh produce can cause foodborne illness when
it is contaminated and eaten raw," says Cardinal.
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- Cardinal says fruits such as berries can only be rinsed
under cold running water, while other fruit and vegetables can be scrubbed
without damaging the fruit.
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- Never use soap, he says, as it may penetrate the skin
and contaminate the flesh. However, soap is fine for muskmelons such as
cantaloupe because it will not penetrate their thick rinds and nonpermeable
skin.
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- However, cantaloupe, with its textured outer shell, could
harbour soil that may contain harmful bacteria such as salmonella.
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- Soil may become contaminated through the use of
uncomposted
manure, by watering fruit with contaminated water, or from wild animal
and bird droppings.
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- Although only the outside of the fruit may be
contaminated,
cutting unwashed melons with a knife can carry the contamination into the
flesh, and handling the flesh after handling the shell can also transfer
bacteria.
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- "Each fruit and vegetable has its own
characteristics
and risk potential," Cardinal says. "It's important to choose
quality produce from the grocery store and to handle all fresh produce
with caution."
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- © 2001 Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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