While shopping in the produce section of your local grocery store, you might hear a piped-in storm sound and then see misters spraying the shelves of vegetables with something. Pre-cut fruit like mango and watermelon are likewise sprayed before being packaged in clear containers. It’s easy to assume this fine mist is simply water that rinses or crisps up fruit and veggies, but it is something else. What is it and is it safe? Is it necessary?
What is this Mist? One common and widely used misting product in grocery stores is Produce Maxx by Chemstar. This mist is a diluted mixture of hypochlorous acid (HOCI), which is formed when chlorine is dissolved in water. Groceries use this compound to encourage lasting freshness and a colorful appearance, control the growth of bacterial pathogens, and prevent cross-contamination between fruits and vegetables.
Hypochlorous acid (HOCI) should not be confused with sodium hypochlorite (NAOCI), better known as household bleach. The HOCI in Produce Maxx is a much stronger disinfectant than bleach but has a lower pH, salt content, and parts per million of chlorine. In other words, while HOCI is much more concentrated than bleach, less can be used while getting the same effect. Produce that is misted with HOCI may last longer than produce you get from your local farmers’ market or CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery partly because disinfectants like Produce Maxx prevent microbes from growing.
Surprisingly, hypochlorous acid is a compound that occurs naturally in all mammals like humans. Our immune system activates HOCI in white blood cells to combat any pathogen exposures. Despite its natural presence in the human body, the industrial production of HOCI is a different matter. HOCI is used as a medical-grade disinfectant and has many commercial applications that kill 99.9% of mold, mildew, and germs such as E. Coli, Salmonella, listeria, and COVID-19.
There are even beauty and skin care products that tout the benefits of using HOCI in wound care and treating skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, and sunburns. Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal from the Cleveland Clinic says HOCI is billed as being 100X more powerful than bleach, but the products expressly developed for skincare are greatly diluted and safe, although she says you’d want to avoid ingesting it, getting it into your eyes, creating it at home yourself, or using an undiluted formulation. Health injuries are not known or expected under normal use.
Is it safe? A widely disseminated video on social media claimed that groceries were using Produce Maxx to mist produce with toxic chemicals consisting of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and antibiotics. Produce Maxx is registered as an “antimicrobial pesticide” with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and is classified as non-hazardous. The label on Produce Maxx says Active Ingredients consist of 0.45% Hypochlorous Acid with 99.55% Other Ingredients. The phrase "other ingredients” is always suspect, and its label does caution "Causes moderate eye irritation. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling and before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco or using the toilet.” As far as California Prop. 65 goes, “This product does not contain any chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth, or any other reproductive defects.”
What About Organic Produce? Produce Maxx does comply with the USDA National Organic Program, so it can be used in certified organic production and food handling according to their standards. The non-profit Organic Materials Review Institute, an independent organic food standards group, has certified Produce Maxx as safe for use in organic production, and empty containers of it can be recycled safely.
Why Do Some Customers Have Issues with Produce Sprays? Assurances feel somewhat mixed, and long-term studies about the effects of ingesting HOCI are not easily attainable, but even if Produce Maxx is considered mostly benign, some buyers take issue with their produce being sprayed without informed consent. That is, there are no signs or labels near the produce to indicate that this chemical is being sprayed onto the food you are purchasing. This lack of transparency means the buyer is not presented with an informed option to opt in or out, ask questions about the product, or express concerns. Feel free to ask your grocer if they use misters with HOCI. This writer, who lives in Pleasant Hill, asked her friendly grocer at Safeway if they used Produce Maxx and they said they did; however, there were no signs or labels to indicate this.
What Can You Do? You may decide that buying produce misted with Produce Maxx is a small concession for not getting listeria, E. Coli, or salmonella. The FDA provides additional reassurance that simply running tap water over produce removes any dirt or residue and there is no need to use additional soap, detergent, or special washes, even when a product like Produce Maxx is used. Several studies have confirmed that produce washes are no more effective than plain water in removing microbes, pesticides, or chemicals of any kind. Those wishing to be extra careful may use a solution of one part vinegar with four parts water to wash or soak produce. Another cleaning solution consists of mixing one teaspoon of baking soda to two cups water.
If you’d rather not risk buying food misted with disinfectants like Produce Maxx to begin with, consider sourcing your produce from farmers’ markets, local farms, or subscription services like CSAs such as Farm Fresh to You so you can dialogue directly with growers. If you prefer relying on grocery stores, it’s better to purchase whole, uncut organic fruit and vegetables that are minimally processed whenever possible. You may even enjoy taking a small step towards growing your own food. Potted berries and fresh herbs are a great place to start!
Sources and further reading:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvxWblI8DwU
Photo by Mark Stosberg on Unsplash
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