Are edible skins of supermarket fruits safe to eat, or are residues a problem?
Ideally, if fruits are grown without chemicals and pesticides, all of them should be edible. Here I am talking about fruits I can buy from supermarkets in US. If considering remains of chemicals imposed by human, including pesticides, fertilizer, preservatives,etc, are their skins edible? Here are some examples.
Berries' skins are impossible to separate.
Grapes' skins are not easy to be separated although possible, and are said to contain many nutrition.
Apples' skins are easier to peel. But the gloss from its skins are said to be from some artificial chemicals such as wax, and there may be remains of other things.
Considering pros and cons, would you suggest eating the skins of grapes and of apples bought from US supermarkets?
Best Answer
The EPA regulates pesticides in the US, all the way from the use on the crop to the food you buy. From their website:
In setting the tolerance, EPA must make a safety finding that the pesticide can be used with "reasonable certainty of no harm." To make this finding, EPA considers
the toxicity of the pesticide and its break-down products
how much of the pesticide is applied and how often
how much of the pesticide (i.e., the residue) remains in or on food by the time it is marketed and prepared
EPA ensures that the tolerance selected will be safe. The tolerance applies to food imported into this country, as well as to food grown here in the U.S.
The site also includes other information, for example about the scientific evidence they require to make decisions.
So everything you can buy is safe in terms of pesticides.
The FDA regulates other aspects of produce safety, for example wax. They ensure that the food you can purchase is safe to consume (and not just produce). They have a summary page on fresh produce, which says:
Many vegetables and fruits make their own natural waxy coating. After harvest, fresh produce may be washed to clean off dirt and soil - but such washing also removes the natural wax. Therefore, waxes are applied to some produce to replace the natural waxes that are lost.
...
Waxes are used only in tiny amounts to provide a microscopic coating surrounding the entire product. Each piece of waxed produce has only a drop or two of wax.
Coatings used on fruits and vegetables must meet FDA food additive regulations for safety.
You should of course wash your produce to ensure safety - the FDA page also says this, and neither they nor the EPA claim your food will be safe if you don't. (A good washing will also generally remove the wax, as the FDA mentions.) But unless you actively distrust the EPA and FDA, you have no cause for concern, and you probably shouldn't trust anyone who tells you otherwise unless they have similarly conducted a thorough review of scientific evidence. (If you want to have a discussion about scientific evidence for safety/danger of a particular pesticide, this isn't really the right place.)
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Quick Answer about "Are edible skins of supermarket fruits safe to eat, or are residues a problem?"
Peels are packed with beneficial nutrients. The amounts of nutrients they contain vary based on the type of fruit or vegetable. However, generally speaking, unpeeled produce contains higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial plant compounds than peeled produce does.Should we eat apple with peel or without peel?
Apples are one of the fruits Cecere especially recommends not peeling. \u201cApple skin has insoluble fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A and the flavonoid quercetin,\u201d she says. Although apple skins contain so many nutrients and fibre, they are a higher pesticide fruit.Why you should eat apple skin?
An apple with skin ON contains 50% MORE phytonutrients than a peeled one! Apple skins have exceptionally high concentrations of antioxidants. They also contain compounds (triterpenoids) with significant anti-cancer capabilities. Particularly so, when it comes to preventing liver, colon and breast cancer.Is it safe to eat apple skin?
Speaking of vitamin C, apple skins contain significant levels of vitamins and minerals that are lower or almost non-existent in apple flesh. In fact, a raw apple with skin contains up to 312% more vitamin K, 70% more vitamin A, 35% more calcium and potassium, and 30% more vitamin C than a peeled apple.Does it matter if I eat the stickers on fruits?
By and large, these produce stickers are NOT biodegradable and must be removed before composting. Eating a PLU sticker won't kill you, but it is not "edible," and we advise against consuming it.Are spotty fruits and vegetables safe to eat? - Elizabeth Brauer
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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