August 24, 2026 | Source: KOSU.org | by Celia Llopis-Jepsen
Rinsing your fruits and vegetables with tap water reduces how much pesticide you inadvertently eat — and a few other tricks can help you cut down the residue further.
That’s the takeaway after an environmental group analyzed nearly 50 peer-reviewed studies on typical household methods for getting agricultural chemicals off of produce.
Dayna de Montagnac, a scientist at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, says fruits and vegetables are important sources of nutrition, so the findings can help people reduce their exposure while eating healthy.
“ People deserve to enjoy the health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said, “without the worry of exposing themselves and their families to pesticide residues.”
De Montagnac is the lead author of the new paper published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Frontiers in Environmental Health.
After scrutinizing dozens of studies, the authors found that rinsing produce under a faucet or soaking it in tap water both help — and that soaking fruits and veggies in a solution that includes baking soda or vinegar is even more effective.
