Consumption of fresh produce is on the rise. With the increased consumption of fresh produce items comes an increase in chances of a foodborne outbreak. This study evaluated the efficacy of home washing technologies (ozonated water, electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water, Veggie Wash, dilute chlorine bleach, and running tap water) against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes on tomatoes, cantaloupe, and broccoli. Dilute chlorine bleach was the most effective on all produce, providing log reductions up to 3.89 log. EO water and ozonated water were moderately effective on all produce. Running tap water was effective on tomatoes, but not on broccoli or cantaloupes. Veggie Wash provided the lowest reductions for tomatoes and was only moderately effective on broccoli and cantaloupes. Reductions were higher for tomatoes (1.14 to 3.89 log) than for broccoli (0.63 to 1.57 log) or cantaloupe (0.55 to 2.48 log) when subjected to the same washing technologies.
