Wash Fruits and Vegetables

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

January 13, 2005 Archives

Contact: Nick Houtman, Dept. of Public Affairs, 207-581-3777

ORONO, Maine — Washing fresh fruits and vegetables with distilled water appears to be as effective in protecting food safety as using some commercial products designed for that purpose, according to a new University of Maine Cooperative Extension fact sheet.

Eating fresh produce provides important health benefits, but raw foods can also carry risks of food-borne illness if they are not properly cleaned. A market has thus developed for new commercial wash treatments designed to reduce those risks.

To test the effectiveness of these products, UMaine researchers compared the results of washing with three products, according to package directions, and with distilled water that is free of microorganisms. Researchers applied each product to lowbush blueberries.

The research team included Kristi Crowe, graduate student, and Professor Alfred Bushway of the Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Mahmoud El-Begearmi, food safety specialist for Cooperative Extension.

Distilled water was as effective as Fit