Lifestyles Ideas Management - Wash your Greens

It is good practice to wash fresh fruits and vegetables before eating them. Washing fruits removes dirt, as well as some pesticides on the surface and stem.
There is not need to soak the fruit; just rinse it before preparing it and eating it.

As for vegetables, a combination of soaking and rinsing will remove both dirt and pesticides. The websites of the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), www.ava.gov.sg has a section on food safety education which gives details on the proper way to clean foods.. You should give vegetables a quick rinse first followed by a 15 minutes soak and a final rinse to remove dirt and pesticides residue effectively.
Most fruits and vegetables sold in Singapore are imported and measures in place to ensure that imported and locally produced vegetables and fruits meet the pesticide safety standards.
If you are still worried about the amount of pesticides on fresh fruits and vegetables, consider buying those grown organically. Vitamins, like vitamin C can be lost when the cut fruits and vegetables are exposed to air or light.
Water-soluble vitamins are lost when the greens are cut into smaller pieces and soaked in water. It is best to eat the fruits as soon as it is cut. For vegetables, do not soak them too long and cut them only after they are soaked.