More than a third of British people always wash packaged fruit and vegetables before eating or cooking them, our survey has revealed. In the midst of the E. coli outbreak in Europe, our poll has found that nearly half of people always wash loose fruit, but the majority of anxiety lies with unpackaged vegetables; three in five people consistently make sure to wash these.
Concern for vegetable-based cleanliness seems to increase with age; pensioners are particularly adverse to loose vegetables, with almost eight out of ten people in the 60+ age group saying they always wash loose veg before cooking or eating (compared to half who always wash packaged veg).
One in ten Brits never washes loose veg, while 16% never wash loose fruit, and almost a third never wash meat (but a similar number say that they always do).
- The majority of people, 60%, make sure to wash loose vegetables before cooking, making unpackaged veg the most concerning food in terms of hygiene (just 7% never wash loose vegetables)
- Just under half (46%) always wash loose fruit
- While packaged vegetables and packaged fruit are always washed by 36% of people apiece
- 27% of people always wash meat, while 29% never do
- The 60+ age group are the most concerned with washing food, with 79% saying that they always wash loose vegetables and 51% saying that they always wash loose fruit
- This is almost twice as much as at the other end of the age scale, with 44% of those aged 18-24 always washing unpackaged vegetables and 34% doing the same with loose fruit
The poll comes amid growing concerns regarding a deadly new strain of E. coli in Europe, the spread of which has been linked to fresh produce, as well as to a restaurant and a farm in Germany. The toxic intestinal bacteria has left 26 people dead so far, and has infected 2,400 more.
Health authorities at first incorrectly blamed Spanish cucumbers for the new strain of E. coli, and then an organic bean sprout farm in northern Germany was thought to be responsible. Scientists are still examining samples taken from the farm. 210 million Euros has been offered to compensate farmers suffering severe financial losses due to the outbreak, a figure which has been increased from an initial offer of 150 million Euros.
Health advice from the UK Health Protection Agency suggests that people wash fruit and vegetables before eating them, peel or cook fruit and vegetables, and wash hands regularly to prevent person-to-person spread of the E. coli strain.
