Have we ever been told a good reason why there are produce sprinklers at the grocery store? I’m not a farmer but I know that dead vegetables don’t need to be bathed in tap water to stay fresh. Judging by the red-orange mold growing in my bathtub, I would assume that extra moisture hastens spoilage.
The real reason is because all that water adds to the final weight at checkout. Notice how they only sprinkle the green leafy vegetables that can hold water in their crevices. You will never see them spraying tomatoes or oranges. My calculations show that this extra water pads the industry’s profit by millions of dollars a year, which is why I shake the shit out of my broccoli crowns before I bag it up.
