It's all just talk

Consumers should rinse their fresh fruits and vegetables with cold water, but they should not rinse raw poultry, meat or eggs, will end up dispersing food pathogens all over their kitchens, increasing the very risk of food-borne illness they are trying to avoid, according to the experts.

“People are still shocked when we tell them” not to wash poultry, said Marianne Gravely, a food safety educator at the U.S.D.A., which has been advising against washing raw poultry and meat for decades. “Back in the early ’90s we were saying that.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food-borne pathogens sicken an estimated 48 million Americans every year, putting 128,000 in the hospital and killing 3,000.

Washing chicken won’t remove many bacteria but it can spread germs to hands, work surfaces, clothing and nearby utensils or food, a process called cross contamination.

“That washing process can really only increase risk,” he said. “All I really can do is control it through cooking.”

Cooking is the only way to kill pathogens like salmonella and campylobacter. Consumers should use a food thermometer to ensure meat and poultry reach a safe minimal temperature: 

Don’t rely on your cookbook for temperature guidance. 

Food safety experts recommend washing anything used in food preparation, including counters, cutting boards and utensils, in hot, soapy water. And washing your hands properly — with soap for 20 seconds — before and after preparing food “can really prevent the contamination of other things,”.

“Pathogens are just so small and the surface of produce is so creviced,” Dr. Chapman said, “that the pathogens do a really good job attaching and hiding where water can’t even get to.”

Some produce, such as bagged lettuce and spinach, is clearly labeled already washed and does not need to be washed again, the F.D.A. says. Washing those vegetables or fruits again won’t reduce the number of pathogens any further and could spread bacteria around the kitchen.

Eatting a lot of fruits and vegetables raw, the risk of contracting a food-borne illness from contaminated lettuce or cantaloupe is greater than from properly cooked chicken. (src)

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