http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x64425Oh my.
japple (1000+ posts) Tue May-05-09 06:01 PM
Original message
?? about why grocery produce dept. sprays the veggies with water.
All of the grocery stores in my area have a water sprayer system in their produce departments, accompanied by the audio "thunder" warning. It seems to me that keeping the produce wet all of the time would make it rot faster, and I've noticed that root vegs. like turnips, radishes, parsnips and carrots seem to turn pulpy more quickly than those that I keep in my refrigerator veg. crisper at home.. The lettuces, herbs and tender leafy greens are sometimes so wet that I have to wipe my hands on a paper towel. I think if the produce managers would schedule fewer sprayings, the produce would hold out longer.
I don't know why this bugs me so badly, but I'd appreciate it if anyone could give me any information on why this spraying has become a trend in our grocery stores.
Tesha (1000+ posts) Tue May-05-09 06:05 PM
Response to Original message
1. If I were a negative sort...
I'd say items sold by weight would bring in more money to the store if they absorbed more water.....
Duer 157099 (1000+ posts) Tue May-05-09 06:06 PM
Response to Original message
2. Having a naturally suspicious mind, I've always thought that it had to do with adding weight to the produce so they make more money....
A drop here, a drop there, it all adds up.
yy4me (1000+ posts) Tue May-05-09 06:08 PM
Response to Original message
3. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is bugged by this practice.
Around here it is very common for the stores to spray the green veggies. I think it's to keep the product looking fresher. It is a real pain in the neck. I invert all of my green veggies in the carriage as I shop and bag them as I pay. That way the water drips on their floor and not all over me. I also leave lettuce and things of that nature in my dish drainer for a while and shake out the access.
What irks me even more is the fact that some of the greens I buy are sold by the pound, therefore I am paying a per/lb price for the water.
So.....the whyme primitive wants to buy dried-out fruits and vegetables?
And it's okay for the whyme primitive to create a slipping hazard, dripping water on the supermarket floor?
The warped primitive:
Warpy (1000+ posts) Tue May-05-09 10:14 PM
Response to Reply #3
7. You don't give 'em a quick shake before you bag 'em?
I do.
And saves about three one-hundredths of a cent on the weight.
yy4me (1000+ posts) Wed May-06-09 08:13 AM
Response to Reply #7
10. I do the quick shake while hanging over the counter but there is still quite a bit of water in things like lettuce and radish tops. A few minutes dripping before bagging at the register line and then the air dry at home before refrigerating.
I have bought the "Green Bags" at a local surplus store and use them now. They are reusable after a rinse. Work well with things like celery, carrots, strawberries, they seem to last a lot longer and do not get limp or overripe too quickly. I need to pick up more now, I split the box with my daughter. Have not tried the bags on lettuce. I have only four. Off to Ocean State Job Lots for more soon. They are worth it.
I also do not buy cucumbers any more. Waste of money. I'll wait for the farmers market when the cukes are fresh. That includes the wrapped to death English ones.
Oh my. Not even a thought about the couple of billion people on earth so hungry they'd be happy as strawberries-and-cream with even a dried stale cucumber.
Callalily (1000+ posts) Tue May-05-09 06:30 PM
Response to Original message
4. One of the grocery stores
I frequent does that too. And they spray far too much water on the produce, and yes I have complained. I never thought about the added weight issue, but it's certainly plausible.
The added weight issue involves about three one-hundredths of a cent.
grasswire (1000+ posts) Tue May-05-09 09:01 PM
Response to Original message
5. you betcha some things rot because of that
A market in my area was carrying mesh bags of kirby cucumbers in that water-spritzed section. Take them home, and they would rot in a day -- even though they looked okay at purchase, they would be slimy overnight.
I complained. It didn't make any difference. I stopped buying, although I love kirbys.
The Rita Hayworth primitive:
Tangerine LaBamba (1000+ posts) Tue May-05-09 10:31 PM
Response to Reply #5
8. I get my produce at the one market around here that doesn't have a spray system, when I realized that the stuff I was buying at the other, more expensive, markets was rotting so fast. It took me a while to figure out that it was the water.
The same thing happened to me with Kirbys, which, granted, are more perishable than regular cucumbers, but mine rotted overnight, which was ridiculous. It doesn't happen when I buy at the local Giant market.
Warpy (1000+ posts) Tue May-05-09 10:13 PM
Response to Original message
6. Here in the high desert, that system is absolutely essential and stores that don't have it find themselves throwing out a lot of good produce that just dried out. This is the first place I ever saw it, probably 18 years ago, and I'm not surprised other markets have picked it up.
However, some markets in humid areas are probably seeing mold if they don't rotate their produce frequently. Even here, they don't spray things like sweet corn or many root veggies, especially the ones that are waxed.
Maybe you need to talk to the produce manager at your market about not spraying root veggies. The leaves, if they have them, might stay nice longer but the veggies themselves won't.
pengillian101 (680 posts) Wed May-06-09 01:53 AM
Response to Original message
9. Sprayed vegies
The sprayed fresh greenery probably stays the best. A friend of mine worked at a grocer's fresh vegie aisle.
Once, I got a bunch of celery that was so wilted I threw it out. She said I should have just run it under cold water. The next time, I did just that - it snapped right back to crisp. I always core my head of lettuce and do that also.
Root vegetables - absolutely NOT! Especially if the greenery is still attached like radishes or carrots. That's when, if they spray with water it turns to slime.
And spraying water on potatoes and other root vegetables -- why???
