How do I know the vegetables in the store are safe?

ASK THE HORT AGENT

Question How do I know the vegetables in the store are safe?

Answer Just because the “world’s deadliest spider” was found in the produce section of an Oklahoma supermarket last week, people are bugging out. OK, one was also found in a box of bananas in Britain. The spiders didn’t actually bite anybody. A person would only have 25 minutes to get the antidote or else the bite from a “Brazilian wandering spider” is lethal. The only problem with the antidote is access. Doctors don’t keep this antidote on hand. I can guarantee that the antidote will be delivered about the time the funeral is over.

The keyword in this specific situation is not the word spider. It is the word “Brazilian.” Airplanes and refrigerators have given us the ability to buy produce outside the US and sell it inside the US. Creeping critters crawl into produce crates no matter where the vegetables are gathered. Since border control agents can’t even catch people coming into the US illegally, there’s no way they can catch spiders.

Every now and then a small rattlesnake or scorpion will hitch a ride to the grocery store in a box of cabbage. This happens regardless of where the veggies are picked. When you buy locally grown produce, your doctor is more likely to have the antidote for the locally grown venomous critter.

While the “world’s deadliest spider” makes a great story, consumers are more likely to get sick and/or die from salmonella. Again, producers within the US have good systems of tracking food from the “field to the fork.” http://cps.ucdavis.edu/cps/ The produce at most farmers markets and produce stands is generally picked and handled by a small number of workers, thus reducing the chance of contamination.

No vegetables are 100% safe. Even if you grow your own or buy organic, there is always the risk of them being contaminated by you. Consumers are actually more likely to contaminate their own food than to buy contaminated food. To reduce the risk of contamination keep vegetables separate from meats in the grocery cart, bags and refrigerator. Wash your hands and vegetables before preparing meals. For more great tips visit http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/fdd/fdd_fs_produce.htm

For more wandering spider info, visit http://www.badspiderbites.com/banana-spider/ or http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/venanimals/ven_spidbrazwand.html If you don’t have internet access, call me at 910-893-7533 or email me at gpierce@harnett.org

There are many spiders in Brazil. The Brazilian wandering spider’s venom has a side effect which helps doctors identify half its victims. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509876,00.html This is no laughing matter. If you are bitten by a spider while picking up bananas at the grocery store, I suggest you go immediately to the hospital. On the other hand, you only have 25 minutes and no antidote.

Gary L. Pierce

Horticulture Extension Agent