Unwashed Fruit and Listeria/Toxoplasmosis

[noodle]

Just after some advice

Today at work somebody bought in fruit on a platter.... I ate some then got told it was unwashed. I am stressing out because everything that I have read has said that listeria and toxoplasmosis are both found in large quantities on unwashed fruit!!

I am so worried that I have inadvertantly hurt my baby And the sucky thing is that neither disease shows up straight away - it could take weeks!!!

Help!!!

[SossiGirl]

Noodle, yes it is best to wash fruit but im sure everything will be just fine. Try not to be too stressed about things like that, biggest things are soft cheeses and processed meats.

[Alan]

Noodle

You would be very unlucky to have caught anything from the fruit although it is better to wash it first. The amount of bugs on the fruit would depend on what type of fruit it was, apple, strawberry, banana. It would also depend on what fertilizer was used and when it was last applied. One last thing to consider would be if the fruit was produced by a commercial grower or a backyard grower. Fruit produced by commercial growers are washed before packing Toxoplasmosis is more of a problem in the first trimester and you are more likely to get listeria in the third trimester. I hope this helps to reduce your anxiety.