Are strawberries really the dirtiest fruit? Can we still eat them without worry?

Netizen question: It is strawberry season recently, and I plan to go to the strawberry farm with my family to pick strawberries this weekend. But I also heard that strawberries are the dirtiest fruits and vegetables, and eating them can easily cause health problems.

I just want to know, are strawberries really the dirtiest fruit? Can we still eat them without worry?

In fact, the rumor that strawberries are the dirtiest fruit and vegetable is not true.

The so-called "strawberries are the dirtiest" was ranked by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the pesticide residue data of agricultural products from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, mainly because on average the most types of pesticide residues were detected in each strawberry.

However, more types of pesticide residues does not mean higher content. Whether the pesticide residues are harmful to health depends on the content. Although there are many types of pesticide residues on the surface of strawberries, the content is not high and the impact on the human body is not that great.

Therefore, strawberries are not the dirtiest fruit and can be eaten without worry. However, if you go to the orchard to pick them, it is not recommended to eat them without washing them.

Strawberries grow on the ground and require a lot of water for irrigation and fertilizer, which makes it very likely that they will be infected with the norovirus.

If you eat it without washing it thoroughly, your body is likely to be infected with the Norovirus, causing symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and high fever.

Furthermore, during the growth of strawberries, the surface of the fruit is easily attacked by pests and microorganisms, which requires the use of a large amount of pesticides. If you eat strawberries without washing them thoroughly, the pesticide residues and bacteria on the surface of the strawberries may cause diarrhea or even poisoning.

The correct way to wash strawberries

1. Rinse the strawberries several times with running water to remove any dirt floating on the surface of the strawberries.

2. Then pick off the leaf stems of the strawberries, soak them in light salt water for 15 to 30 minutes, and then rinse them with running water.

3. Before eating, it is best to rinse it with boiled water or purified water.

4. As for strawberries with damaged or rotten surfaces, it is best to bear the pain and not eat them.