# Germs and Fruit Sold in Supermarkets via People Touching Them



## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

I'm probably overreacting but for fruit sold openly in supermarkets like Apples for example where people touch them, 1. Is it possible that one can pick up germs and get ill just by touching another apple that a diseased person has touched, 2. eating an apple that was touched by a diseased person? How long do germs stay on fruit like apples? 2. Will rinsing apples with water, literally wash germs off the apple? Or are the germs from someones touch on fruit so minimal, there is no health risk?


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt here. 

Here are some questions you need to consider first...

How often do you wash your hands in an average day?

Do you touch your face with your hands? How often in an average day?

You are more likely to get yourself sick or sicker by simply not washing your hands or covering your own mouth when you sneeze/cough.

You can give yourself Pink Eye by not washing your hands when you are sick and then touching your eyes/face.

On a side note, most of the folks here grow their own produce to some degree and what they don't grow they go to 'pick-ur-own' farms for cheaper prices.


----------



## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

OK Temporary Truce I wash my hands every time I enter my residence from the outside as well as when I touch things like packages I open, etc. 

I just started getting paranoid when I realized how many people touch apples at the Supermarket. Out of laziness I never washed/rinsed fruit like apples and now I'll probably start. I've gotten super paranoid ever since I somehow got pneumonia about 10 months ago and I'm sure I got it from either the Supermarket or Post Office. 

More power to people who grow their own.


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Try soaking/rinsing your store bought produce in a dilute vinegar mixture.


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Of the small amount of fresh produce we buy from the grocery store, almost all of it is in "large" quantities. Instead of buying one or two apples like many, we buy what is in season, in quantity. A bag or sack of apples just makes a lot more sense.


----------



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

PeachesBackwards said:


> OK Temporary Truce


 ROFL!



PeachesBackwards said:


> I wash my hands every time I enter my residence from the outside as well as when I touch things like packages I open, etc.


 Moms of the world have always hounded their children about washing their hands: before you eat, after you eat, AFTER USING THE RESTROOM (which studies show that less than 50% of men do, even when they have just touched their junk!) whenever you cough and cover your mouth and catch those germs. If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow, while putting the hand from that arm over your opposite shoulder. It is a technique being taught to children in schools.

Also, instead of shaking hands with someone, the fist bump is an alternative because there are less germs there. It is much more a young person thing.

I have a friend who worked in an office with a bunch of muslims. She said they do not hug or touch each other. It is a cultural thing, but may also limit germ intake. I would be good not to touch or hug any muslims myself!

I always feel like I have something after doing some shopping and being out where others are sick. My grocery stores have wipes for wiping handles on the grocery carts, which is where you are going to have more likelihood of getting germs. [/QUOTE]


----------



## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

I think I may take to wearing disposable medical gloves again when going to the Supermarket and the Post Office.


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

weedygarden said:


> If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow, while putting the hand from that arm over your opposite shoulder. It is a technique being taught to children in schools


I have to take issue with this. We have taught Roo from day one to do this as well as she is taught this at her preschool. A few weeks ago Roo got sick and was doing this. She some how got Pink Eye even though she hadn't been in school for a few weeks at this point. The doctor told me that the elbow trick actually can deflect the germ back up in to a child's face and this is the cause of the most recent spread of Pink eye.


----------



## Gians (Nov 8, 2012)

PeachesBackwards said:


> I think I may take to wearing disposable medical gloves again when going to the Supermarket and the Post Office.


Peaches you can still can rub your eye with gloves on or bring home whatever you're afraid of. Let me add to your worries  it's not only who touched your produce in the market, but who picked your fruit in the field(and didn't wash after taking a crap). We use a veggie wash and scrub brush, if that's not enough you can always peel and/or bake the apple. Best is growing your own, but I still wash em.


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Gians said:


> Peaches you can still can rub your eye with gloves on or bring home whatever you're afraid of. Let me add to your worries  it's not only who touched your produce in the market, but who picked your fruit in the field(and didn't wash after taking a crap). We use a veggie wash and scrub brush, if that's not enough you can always peel and/or bake the apple. Best is growing your own, but I still wash em.


Remember the recent bs about the Cilantro farmers and their pickers?

http://www.latinoshealth.com/articl...human-waste-contaminated-mexican-cilantro.htm



> *Cilantro Recall 2015: 380 Sick Due to Human Waste-Contaminated Mexican Cilantro*
> 
> The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevenion (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have found that Mexican cilantro imported into the Unites States may have been contaminated by human feces, making over 380 people in 26 states severely sick.
> 
> ...


Basically the farmers were not providing restroom facilities for the pickers and they were cr*pping in the fields where they were working.


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

A person can take all the precautions humanly possible and still get sick. It happens to all living Organisms, and short of living in a Sterile environment there is nothing that is 100% guaranteed to prevent sickness. It's actually good for us to get sick once in a while as it allows our Immune System to protect us in a more efficient way.


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

camo2460 said:


> A person can take all the precautions humanly possible and still get sick. It happens to all living Organisms, and short of living in a Sterile environment there is nothing that is 100% guaranteed to prevent sickness. It's actually good for us to get sick once in a while as it allows our Immune System to protect us in a more efficient way.


*Quoted for TRUTH!*


----------



## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

camo2460 said:


> A person can take all the precautions humanly possible and still get sick. It happens to all living Organisms, and short of living in a Sterile environment there is nothing that is 100% guaranteed to prevent sickness. It's actually good for us to get sick once in a while as it allows our Immune System to protect us in a more efficient way.


I'm far more worried about the chemicals used to produce an apple at a grocery store. I know something about them. Dad had a 200 tree peach orchard when I moved back to the farm.

Chemicals that lay waste to our immune system, leaving us open for a host of illnesses.

Our immune system can protect us from a host of horrible nasties, if it's working correctly. Who sneezed on the table of apples is irrelevant. My immune system, that's what is important! just sayin'


----------



## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

*Can't Win, LOL, How Long Can Picker's Germs stay on Fruit?*



Gians said:


> Peaches you can still can rub your eye with gloves on or bring home whatever you're afraid of. Let me add to your worries  it's not only who touched your produce in the market, but who picked your fruit in the field(and didn't wash after taking a crap). We use a veggie wash and scrub brush, if that's not enough you can always peel and/or bake the apple. Best is growing your own, but I still wash em.


I thought about this but came to the realization, let me know if I'm wrong,that germs of pickers of fruits, etc., won't stay on what they picked after a day or less. Am I wrong?


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

PeachesBackwards said:


> I thought about this but came to the realization, let me know if I'm wrong,that germs of pickers of fruits, etc., won't stay on what they picked after a day or less. Am I wrong?


Read the article I posted about the parasites found on cilantro that made people sick (found in restaurants and supermarkets)... in short they came from human feces in the fields.


----------



## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

PeachesBackwards said:


> I thought about this but came to the realization, let me know if I'm wrong,that germs of pickers of fruits, etc., won't stay on what they picked after a day or less. Am I wrong?


Nearly everything lives longer than a day.

Keep your hands off your face. Germs on your hands aren't a big deal, your intact skin will protect you. It's when you transfer those germs to your mucus membranes that they become a problem.

If you got pneumonia at your age, it's likely because you have a weakened immune system or a weakened respiratory system. If you smoke, stop. It not only weakens your immune & respiratory systems but you touch those cigarettes with your germy hands & then put it into your mouth.


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

tsrwivey said:


> Nearly everything lives longer than a day.
> 
> Keep your hands off your face. Germs on your hands aren't a big deal, your intact skin will protect you. It's when you transfer those germs to your mucus membranes that they become a problem.
> 
> If you got pneumonia at your age, it's likely because you have a weakened immune system or a weakened respiratory system. If you smoke, stop. It not only weakens your immune & respiratory systems but you touch those cigarettes with your germy hands & then put it into your mouth.


*Again quoted for maximum TRUTH!*


----------



## BillS (May 30, 2011)

i never wash fruit after I buy it.

The only time I wash my hands is when I take a daily shower.

I haven't missed a day of work due to illness in the last year.

I'm in my mid 50s.


----------



## BillS (May 30, 2011)

PeachesBackwards said:


> I think I may take to wearing disposable medical gloves again when going to the Supermarket and the Post Office.


No, don't do that.

I can't help but think that you're needlessly worried about a lot of things. That's meant to be a helpful observation not an insult.

I try to be smart with everything I do but I rarely worry about anything. Worrying can literally make you sick.


----------



## dademoss (Aug 6, 2011)

Bugs that bite me die.

Resistance to disease depends on exposure and an immune system capable of killing the germs.

Live in a bubble and the first germ you meet will be your undoing.


----------



## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

BillS said:


> No, don't do that.
> 
> I can't help but think that you're needlessly worried about a lot of things. That's meant to be a helpful observation not an insult.
> 
> I try to be smart with everything I do but I rarely worry about anything. Worrying can literally make you sick.


You are somewhat, right. When I got Pneumonia it was a huge awakening for me and I just don't ever want something like that happening to me again. Unfortunately I started to notice and be aware of things I hadn't noticed before as a result. Thanks


----------



## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

I wash everything I bring home from the grocery or farm market. even the bagged commercial salads that I buy sometimes in the winter.
I soak berries in a mix of water and white vinegar then drain. it helps to keep them from spoiling a little longer.
I wash lemons, limes, oranges with warm soapy water and a scrub brush and then rinse well. I use the rinds grated and dried so I want them very clean.
I wash apples and pears with a mix of water and white vinegar and then rinse well. I use most the rinds dried in teas so I need them very clean also.
I do the same for the salad greens( water and vinegar) and rinse them really well and then spin them dry.


I cough and sneeze into my shirt. I just pull the collar out and stick my face in there and sneeze and cough. I use my sleeve to rub my eyes and nose. always. I pull my sleeve down over my hand/finger and rub. it was a habit I got into when working outside with work gloves on and its stuck ever since.

I wash my hands so much the skin at the joints on my pinkies crack and I have to use a heavy hand cream at night to help heal them. sometimes its so bad I need antibacterial cream and a bandaid to cover them. this is year round


----------

