FDA Warns Viral Avocado Hack Can Make You Really Sick

It can be hard to find an avocado that’s just perfect for eating and sometimes when we think they’re finally good to go, they’ve turned into a mushy mess before we can enjoy them. A TikTok hack that claims you can keep avocados fresh for weeks by storing them unopened in water in the fridge has gone viral because people want to believe the “magic method” really works. But according to the NY Post the FDA is warning not to try this at home.

“The FDA does not recommend this practice,” shared a spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration. And that’s because the water and refrigeration can actually harbor and breed harmful bacteria and could make you violently ill.

The spokesperson explains that the main concern is that “any residual human pathogens,” like listeria or salmonella, could be on the avocado surface and “potentially multiply during the storage when submerged in water.” The FDA has also done their own testing and found that listeria has the potential to infiltrate the pulp of avocados when stored in refrigerated water within 15 days. And that means that just washing the skin before slicing it wouldn’t get rid of the contamination.

Source: NY Post