Cucumber in plastic wrap: you Need to be washed?

Environmentalists are angry cucumber over them and for a consumer, you are often a mystery: in plastic film-wrapped Food. Why are Packed some cucumber in foil, if it is obviously without? Supermarkets often offer different packaged food cucumbers. The unpackaged goods is often right next to the foiled copies.

The reason for the different packaging is surprising: “consumers must be able to distinguish organic vegetables and fruit in the supermarket clearly from conventional goods. Therefore, Bio is packaged in a vegetable often found in plastic, to avoid a mix-danger with the conventional vegetables”, writes the consumer organization. Some packaging experts argue that cucumbers are in the plastic tube also has a longer shelf life. The foil protects against premature spoilage, by capturing moisture and the cucumber longer stay crunchy leaves, the Argument goes.

The Trend is still clearly against the foil. More and more providers begin to draw organic food in other ways. The Rewe supermarket chain, for example, uses labels to organic draw product. And also the discounters Aldi no longer sells his cucumbers this month in plastic wrap. Some providers use so-called “Natural Branding”. The Bio is burned-the Symbol with a Laser on the fruit. The procedure is considered safe and is used not only for pickles, but also in the case of Avocados, ginger, melons, and sweet potatoes.

In foil cucumber packaged already washed?

That plastic-cucumbers are already washed and Packed. “There is no obligation to wash the cucumber before welding,” of the consumer. Although some vendors wash the product before packaging, but you can’t rely.

The experts advise: the one Who introduced buying welded cucumbers, should you rinse before eating with running water. As any adherent dirt and pesticide residues are removed. Washing is also important because the film “the fungi and germs offer, depending on the storage conditions, a good environment to Multiply”.

The Alternative: from the outset unwrapped cucumbers for sale – the sake of the environment.

Sources: Verbraucherzentrale Bayern / Consumer