This viral TikTok hack for keeping avocados fresh could make you sick, FDA warns
Viral TikToks call it “avocado magic,” but according to the Food and Drug Administration, this so-called avocado “hack” can actually make consumers sick.
The trend of submerging avocados in water while in the fridge to keep them fresh longer has been cropping up on TikTok for months.
Users put an uncut avocado in an airtight container filled with water, and leave it in the fridge to preserve the fruit. Those who have tried the hack claim it can keep avocados fresh for weeks.
While the FDA doesn’t dispel the claims that the trend keeps avocados fresh for longer, the organization does say doing so could hurt your health.
“The FDA does not recommend this practice,” the agency told McClatchy News in a statement. “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.”
Pathogens like Salmonella could multiply while resting in the water and then “infiltrate and internalize” into the pulp of the avocado — the exact part people consume.
The FDA urges consumers to not test this viral hack, even if they attempt to clean the avocado before eating.
“In this case, even surface disinfecting the avocado skin prior to slicing would not be able to remove the contamination,” the FDA said.
This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 5:01 PM with the headline "This viral TikTok hack for keeping avocados fresh could make you sick, FDA warns."
