Are Your Vegetables Sprayed With Chemicals? 10,000 Stores in U.S. Use Antimicrobial Sprays

Story at a glance:

• The tiny misters in your grocery store produce section likely contain antimicrobial sprays that could be leaving your fresh fruit and vegetables covered in chemicals — even if they’re organic.
• Chemstar’s “Sterilox Produce Maxx” product is an antimicrobial fruit and vegetable wash used by more than 50 retail brands across more than 10,000 stores throughout North America.
• Produce Maxx, which is just one type of antimicrobial spray used on produce, contains hypochlorous acid, a form of free chlorine, at a high concentration of 6,000 parts per million (ppm).
• For comparison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends free chlorine concentrations of no more than 4 ppm for maintaining safe drinking water.
• Grocers use Produce Maxx to keep produce fresher longer and reduce spoilage, but although it’s said to be safe, the health risks to humans are largely unknown.

If you’re looking for fresh, chemical-free produce, your local grocery store may not be the best source. This is particularly true if you’ve noticed its produce section contains tiny misters that spray a fine mist onto fruits and vegetables.

While you may assume this is just water used to keep the produce fresh and moist, many stores actually use antimicrobial sprays that could leave your fresh fruit and vegetables covered in chemicals — even if they’re organic. And if you enjoy eating at salad bars, be aware that it may have been misted, too.