with insects, soil, air, and the environment during cultivation and harvesting. The goal of washing and proper food handling is to reduce contamination and make produce safer to eat—not to make it completely sterile.
If strawberries are moldy, rotten, badly spoiled, or otherwise questionable, they should be discarded.
If they are fresh and simply contain a few fruit-fly larvae, thoroughly washing them and removing damaged portions is generally a reasonable approach for healthy individuals.
The Bottom Line
While the sight of tiny white worms emerging from strawberries can be shocking,
There’s more to discover. Continue to the next page for the rest of this article.
