Huffington Post: When making a meal at home, many of us have the habit of peeling all our veggies — pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, everything. But do we really need to? Considering we waste $8 billion of food each year, with the average household throwing out one in five grocery bags per week, couldn’t we simply stop peeling our veggies? Many might dislike the idea of not peeling veggies for fear of food safety, but it’s not as much of a concern as we think.

“From a food safety perspective it’s probably not necessary,” Food Standards Australia and NZ Spokeswoman Lorraine Haase told The Huffington Post Australia. Accredited practising dietitian Caroline Trickey agrees. “There shouldn’t be any need other than to wash them under the tap,” Trickey said. “If someone has issues with their immune system, things like pre-packaged mixed lettuce bags need to be washed a lot more carefully — but more generally, just rinse your fruit and veggies under the tap.”

Read the full article at the Huffington Post website