[Matjalal X-File] "Do you not wash the strawberries inside the cake?" I asked

Asked 7 Cafes and Franchises
6 Including Twosome Have 'Cleaning Manuals'
Paris Baguette to Change Manual Starting February

Editor's Note[Matjalal X-Files] uncovers misunderstandings and truths about food.

"What do you think about cafes not washing fruit used in desserts?"

Recently, a 'confession of conscience' from a part-time worker at a dessert cafe spread through online communities. They revealed that strawberries placed on drinks or bread are not washed to maintain their freshness, as strawberries bruise easily. Without fact-checking, comments debating "true" or "false" continued, increasing consumer anxiety.

The photo is not directly related to the article. Photo by Pixabay

Everyone has probably tasted 'decorative strawberries' at least once. With the strawberry season, Korea's most popular fruit, cafes and bakeries are competing to release seasonal menus. If you have ever heard the rumor that 'cafes or bakeries do not wash their strawberries,' haven’t you felt uneasy every time you ate them? Consuming residual pesticides or microorganisms can cause headaches or even food poisoning.

To find out the truth behind this rumor, we directly asked seven popular cafe and bakery franchises that people commonly visit (Starbucks, Twosome Place, Ediya Coffee, Compose Coffee, Hollys, Paris Baguette, and Tous Les Jours).

"Do you wash strawberries? If so, how do you wash them?"

To start with the results, six out of the seven places have manuals recommending 'strawberry washing.'

The most stringent manual was at Twosome Place. To maintain freshness, they wash strawberries immediately after an order as follows: ① Thoroughly wash under running water to remove foreign substances. ② Prepare a disinfectant solution by diluting a fruit washing agent to the specified concentration (100 ppm). ③ Dip a test paper into the disinfectant for 1?2 seconds to check the concentration. ④ Soak the strawberries in the disinfectant for 5 minutes. ⑤ Rinse under running water at least three times.

Twosome Place also manages strictly by notifying franchise stores about the expiration dates of Sanikron and test papers. A Twosome Place representative said, "We provide photo materials to help store owners easily understand the manual when distributing it," and confidently added, "You can eat with peace of mind."

Ediya Coffee has a similar manual to Twosome Place. After washing strawberries under water to remove foreign substances, they soak them in disinfectant and wash them thoroughly at least five times.

Compose Coffee instructs to soak strawberries in water mixed with vinegar and salt for one minute, then rinse them clean under running water. Starbucks currently does not have drinks topped with decorative strawberries, but their strawberry dessert production factory has a separate washing facility where stems are removed, disinfected, and rinsed.

At Tous Les Jours, strawberries are washed using water and disinfectant. Hollys washes all fresh fruits used in drinks and food after soaking them in diluted fruit washing solution, followed by a second rinse under running water.

Only one place answered that they do not wash strawberries: Paris Baguette. Due to the nature of bakeries where products are displayed for a long time, they use unwashed strawberries to maintain freshness but claim to manage them at a level beyond washing. How is it possible to be safer without washing?

Paris Baguette sources strawberries from dedicated farms where they are grown about 1 meter above the ground, away from soil. These farms regularly use plasma, ozone sterilization, and CO2 sterilization to ensure quality and safety so that washing is unnecessary. Additionally, before making bread, they thoroughly test for microorganisms, pesticides, and heavy metals, using only strawberries that pass these inspections.

However, as the controversy over strawberry washing grew recently, Paris Baguette changed its policy in February to wash strawberries. Now, Paris Baguette instructs and educates stores to wash strawberries with a type 1 detergent, remove moisture, and then use them. An SPC Paris Baguette representative explained, "Since December last year, the manual has been reviewed, and after phased implementation, all stores currently wash strawberries."