Warning issued over viral avocado hack as trend can give you salmonella

Branded “avocado magic” by viral TikTokers, a new tricky trend is putting people's health at risk.

The internet has a bit of a track record when it comes to blindly jumping on board with new ‘wisdom’ often conjured up by unknown creators with no verifiable expertise.

Remember when people started putting toilet brushes at the end of electronic drills and trying to peel potatoes? Yep, we thought so.

And yet, as these viral sensations come and go, it seems that no one ever learns that – actually – stuff you get off the internet might not always be a great idea.

In true internet style, let us introduce you to the latest in this long line of brilliantly bad ideas: the “magic avocado hack”.

What is the magic avocado hack?

The “magic avocado hack” involves putting avocados in water and then putting the whole lot in the fridge.

The idea is that this trick keeps them fresh for longer, and content championing the idea has now been circulating the world wide web for months.

Users have been filling an airtight container with water and an uncut avocado and then placing them in the fridge to preserve the fruit inside.

Some have even claimed that the trick has helped keep their groceries fresh for weeks, which is an appealing prospect for a fruit known for going brown faster than you can say “half today, half tomorrow”.

Is the magic avocado hack dangerous?

  • Mum stuck in Crete with baby for days after 'nightmare' easyJet flight cancellation

The US-based Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that performing the trick could harm your health.

It has not, however, said that the hack fails to keep avocados fresh for longer.

Speaking to McClatchy News, the FDA said: “The FDA does not recommend this practice.

“The main concern is with the possibility that any residual human pathogens that may be residing on the avocado surface, may potentially multiply during the storage when submerged in water.”

Resting the food in water could provide the ideal breeding ground for some seriously grim pathogens like salmonella, which in turn wants to do nothing more than “infiltrate and internalise” into the pulp of your avo.

The pulp, by the way, is the bit you eat.

The FDA has said that attempting to clean the avocado before eating is still not a good idea because, “in this case, even surface disinfecting the avocado skin prior to slicing would not be able to remove the contamination”.

Mmm.

Source: Read Full Article

Previous post Martin McDonagh Tells How He Executed Broadway’s Most Chilling Comedy In ‘Hangmen’: Deadline’s Tony Watch Q&A
Next post Radio 2’s Sara Cox, 47, shows off incredible six pack transformation after Rylan inspired her