A viral video on TikTok shows bugs crawling on a strawberry.
If you like strawberries, these videos may put you off the fruit for life. A viral TikTok trend that shows live worms crawling out of strawberries soaked in salt water has left viewers squeamish. Several TikTok users have shared videos explaining that store-bought strawberries may not be fit to eat after just a quick rinse. The videos show that soaking the fruit in salt and water for 30 minutes removes bugs from them.
"Apparently if you wash your strawberries in water and salt, all the bugs will come out," says TikTok user Seleste Radcliffe in a video which shows her trying the method out. The video - which has collected over 2.5 million views - shows a tiny worm crawling out of a strawberry.
BuzzFeed journalist Krista Torres also tried the method out and the results might make your stomach churn. Watch her TikTok video at your own risk:
"The bugs blend in with the seeds and start crawling out of them," Ms Torres said in her report for BuzzFeed News, adding that the experiment left her horrified.
One TikTok user went a step further and put the strawberries under a microscope to see the bugs. "Y'all better WASH your strawberries," she warned while sharing the clip which shows tiny bugs visible on the surface of the fruit when put under a microscope. Her video has been viewed over 15 million times on the platform, collecting thousands of horrified comments.
"Strawberries used to be my fav fruit up until this video," wrote one person in the comments section while another said, "I am never eating strawberries after this."
The trend also made its way to other social media platforms. Facebook user Lauren Gambrell's post about the correct way to wash strawberries and remove the worms has racked up over 11,000 'reactions' and 1 lakh 'shares' since being posted on Monday. "After nearly 25 years of living, TikTok taught me how to properly wash strawberries. They are FILLED with tiny bugs and tons of dirt!" she wrote.
According to The Independent, the bugs are most likely the larvae of Spotted Wing Drosophila, a fruit fly that lays eggs on ripening fruit. Luckily, they are not harmful if ingested.
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