When you hear about an outbreak of foodborne illness, you pay attention. We all want to know the food we bring home and serve to our families is safe.
But the recent Cyclospora and other foodborne outbreaks raise another health concern: What happens when fear about food safety leads people to avoid fruits and vegetables altogether?
As a healthcare provider, that worries me.
It’s a well-known fact that most Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, with only 12.3 percent of U.S. adults eating the recommended amount of fruits and just 10% of vegetables, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, And for non-Hispanic Black adults, the numbers are even lower, with only 6.9 percent meeting the daily requirements for vegetables.
As a healthcare provider, I see every day the impact nutrition–or the scarcity of it–affects the patients I care for who are managing health conditions while also navigating the everyday challenges of eating well and getting access to healthy foods. For someone living with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity or heart disease, nutrition is not the whole story, but it is an important part of it.
Fruits and vegetables provide fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients our bodies need. A healthy diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables supports overall health and can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Sadly, for many families, eating healthily is already difficult. Black and Latino communities can face barriers to consistently accessing affordable, nutritious foods. Grocery prices are high. Food insecurity remains a reality for too many households. And healthy options are not equally accessible in every neighborhood.
Fear about food safety should not become one more barrier. That does not mean ignoring foodborne illness. It means understanding the risk and responding to it accurately.
Most of the recent food contamination issues are for crops grown outside of the U.S. California health officials confirm the state is not currently experiencing an outbreak in foodborne issues.
That distinction is important because a warning about a specific product and source should not become a warning about every fruit and vegetable in the grocery store. An outbreak linked to a particular source of iceberg lettuce does not change the nutritional value of an orange, an apple or a head of broccoli. It doesn’t make carrots unhealthy.
Living in California gives us an edge when it comes to access and affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. And our higher safety standards significantly reduce contamination risk.
One fruit that is a perfect example of that is strawberries–and one I like to recommend to my patients.
Fresh strawberries grown along California’s Central Coast are available most of the year in grocery stores–including discount grocers–and roadside stands. More are frozen for convenient use in smoothies or a healthy substitute to sugary frozen desserts. For their size, they pack a punch when it comes to vitamins and minerals. One serving of strawberries provides all of your daily vitamin C needs, as well as 3 grams of fiber, in addition to potassium and manganese.
Strawberries are just one of many super foods grown right here in California, and even with our higher standards, there are practical steps families should take with all produce. Pay attention to recalls and public health advisories. Wash your hands before preparing fruits and vegetables.
Wash produce thoroughly under running water. Keep cutting boards, utensils and preparation surfaces clean. And follow the instructions of public health officials when a specific product is recalled.
Then keep fruits and vegetables on the plate.
Keep serving the vegetables your family enjoys. Keep fruit around for snacks. Eat your leafy greens, broccoli and carrots. Reach for oranges, apples and strawberries. While fresh fruit and veggies are a great choice, frozen and canned varieties still are healthy options.
None of this minimizes the seriousness of foodborne illness. Consumers deserve quick and accurate information when a food poses a risk.
For communities already confronting chronic disease, food insecurity and barriers to healthy eating, getting that message right matters.
Food safety matters. So does good nutrition. We should not have to choose between the two.
Follow public health guidance. Pay attention to recalls. Practice good food safety.
And please, keep eating your fruits and vegetables.
