I have done a lot of food preparation on my day and I have to admit that I do not like certain tasks. Working with beets and deviling shrimp, for example, is high on the list. Then was washing of greens.
Although I have done it millions of times, I fear to pull out the salad spinner and all the steps that come next. Therefore, when I get the chance, I buy the pre -washed spinach in the grocery store. No washing needed!
Or at least that’s what I was thinking.
Recently, I was asked if they were too good-to-be-sand-sounding allegations of “ready to eat” and “Triple-washed” were true. Doubt began to crawl in. Should I actually wash bagged greens?
I can’t be the only one who is wondering, so I reached out to food security experts to weigh the topic.
The concern of food security
If you follow the news, you’ve probably read, seen and heard about the various food -borne diseases that pollute our greens.
“Fortunately, in addition to the FDA, USDA and EPA, there are nine more federal agencies responsible for overseeing the compliance with national food safety regulations,” says Toby Amidor, MS, RD, an award -winning nutritionist and author of the author of the author of Up your vegetables.
While our food supply is well protected, fresh fruits and vegetables are still vulnerable to pollution as they require water and soil to grow – both of which can be contaminated by rain, runoff and generally humans and animals. Some pollutants can be washed off and once clean, it is safe for human consumption.
As lettuce and spinach grow close to the ground, they can easily pick up dirt and dirt. Because of this, they are often triple washing before being bagged and sold to the consumer.
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What is triple washing?
Like the name suggests, triple washing means that the spinach in your bag is washed three times before packaging.
“Where the three washes happen can vary depending on the operation, the farm and the packaging facilities,” explains Amidor. In general, however, she says the first washing is performed on the farm to remove dirt, garbage and bugs.
The second and third washes are typically performed on the packing facility, she says, “where the salad is washed in a regulated disinfectant solution to reduce the amount of microorganisms to safe levels.”
Is all that wash for a ready to eat bag with greens?
Need to wash packed spinach?
The simple answer is no, says Robert Schueller, director of Public Relations at Melissa’s products. He says “Triple-washed spinach is ready to eat out of the bag thanks to industrial standards.”
Amidor agrees: “If the bagged salad is labeled as ‘triple washing’, ‘washed’ or ‘ready to eat’, you don’t have to wash it.” In fact, she says it can, according to the USDA, wash it can increase the risk of pollution by transferring bacteria from your washing and kitchen to the food.
If your bag does not specify that any washing has been done, Schueller recommends to do so in a silver in cold water for about a minute. Pat dry with clean paper towels, or better yet, use your salad spinner.
For best results, he adds, “Save wash spinach until you’re ready to use it.”