Food Protection Trends - March/April 2023 - 162

behaviors (10). For example, over 70% of adults rely on the
Internet for health information, a reliance that significantly
increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (9).
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals
feared that the virus could be transmitted through food,
specifically fruits and vegetables. However, food contact or consumption
is not a transmission route for the COVID-19 virus,
which primarily is spread person-to-person through aerosols (8).
The WHO and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) state that there is no evidence of transmission of
the COVID-19 virus via food (8). Despite this, various online
and social media sources disseminated misinformation, telling
consumers they should wash their fruits and vegetables with
soap and other potentially harmful or unnecessary chemicals
during the pandemic, which influenced consumer practices.
Consumers also feared the possible transmission of the virus
via food packaging (14). Risk perceptions may have driven
behavioral changes based on the fear that the virus would
survive on food and food surfaces (14). As a result, consumers
took extra precautions that were not recommended by official
governments (14).
A study conducted in the United States in May 2020 found
that 19% of participants reported washing foods with bleach to
prevent COVID-19 virus transmission (5); another longitudinal
survey of consumer practices conducted from April to
August 2020 found an increase in the number of consumers
who washed their produce with soap (15). Similarly, an online
focus group study conducted in Canada during May to June
2020 reported changes in food safety behavior among several
participants (7). Higher rates of washing produce with soap
were reported among participants aged 40 or older in the study
(7). In addition, several participants reported washing their
produce with various substances even before the COVID-19
pandemic (7). These practices, which expose consumers to
cleaners and disinfectants, contributed to increased calls to
poison control centers in the United States in the early stages of
the pandemic (5). Similarly, Canadian poison control centers
also witnessed increased calls during March 2020 (20). Calls
were related to household exposures to bleach, hand sanitizer,
disinfectants, chlorine gas, and chloramine gas due to unsafe
mixing of chemicals (20).
Government agencies have warned against the use of
detergents and soaps to wash produce because these can make
consumers ill if ingested (16). Several fruits and vegetables
are porous and can absorb potentially toxic substances in
soap or other products used for washing (18). Moreover,
inadequate rinsing may leave residues of the products used to
wash produce. Resultant ingestion of soaps and detergents can
irritate the gastrointestinal system, leading to stomach pain,
vomiting, or diarrhea (7). Soaps are alkaline in pH and have a
surfactant composition that can cause irritations when ingested
(2). Government agencies in the United States and Canada
suggest that consumers wash fruits and vegetables only under
running water (6, 16-18). The process of rinsing with water
162 Food Protection Trends March/April
removes soil, microflora, microorganisms, and debris that may
be present on the surface (4).
YouTube, one of the most popular websites globally, with
more than one billion users, has increasingly been used to
communicate health-related information and disinformation
during the COVID-19 pandemic (13). A study conducted
early in the pandemic found that an estimated 23 to 26% of
health-related YouTube videos contained nonfactual information
about the COVID-19 virus, whereas videos posted from
credible sources were underrepresented (9). YouTube videos
reach large audiences that can share and interact with the
videos and influence behavioral changes among viewers. The
spread of false information on an easily accessible platform
can cause potentially harmful behavioral changes, putting
consumer health at risk. The spread of misinformation can
amplify a public health crisis, in which false information can
be perceived as factual (11). Given the increase in incorrect
produce washing practices observed during the COVID-19
pandemic, this study aimed to evaluate produce washing
videos on YouTube as a possible source of misinformation.
The study compared videos uploaded prior to and during the
pandemic to examine the prevalence of factual versus nonfactual
information provided across both time periods.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Identification and classification of videos
The data collection took place by searching for relevant videos
on YouTube in October 2021. The targeted search terms used
were " how to wash fruits and vegetables, " " fruits and vegetables
washing techniques, " and " food washing techniques during the
COVID-19 pandemic. " For each search term used, the videos
were sorted by view count. The inclusion criteria were that the
videos must be in English or have English subtitles, have more
than 1,000 views, and cover washing of produce (fruits and/or
vegetables) in a household setting. Prepandemic videos included
content from 2008 to 2019; videos related to the COVID-19
pandemic included those posted from March 2020 to September
2021. Descriptive information was collected from each video:
video title, posting date, number of views, comments, likes,
dislikes, URL, washing techniques used, and the upload source.
The source was defined as individual blogger, the government,
or other organization (e.g., news channel, university, medical
center, or clinic).
The specific produce washing techniques used or recommended
in the videos were coded and classified as follows:
soap (including vegetable washes), vinegar (including apple
cider vinegar), salt (sea salt and Himalayan salt), baking
soda, spices, lemon or lime, and other. Temperature abuse
was also recorded if the video recommended that pre-cut or
ready-to-eat produce be stored at room temperature for >2 h.
Videos were classified as " factual " if they corresponded to safe
food handling recommendations from the CDC and Health
Canada, including washing produce only with running water
and not storing pre-cut or ready-to-eat produce at room tem
Food Protection Trends - March/April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - March/April 2023
