N.B. officials warn against eating produce, fiddleheads exposed to floodwater

The New Brunswick government does not want you to eat your vegetables — at least if they were in contact with the floodwater experienced by the province this month.

Officials with New Brunswick’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) are warning people off of fiddleheads and other produce that could have been exposed to contaminated water.

According to the province, floodwater may have exposed locally grown produce and soil to “untreated sewage, fuel or other industrial contaminants.”

They say that the food from areas affected by the flooding may no longer be safe to eat and that boiling will not improve the food’s condition

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“Boiling would only be effective against microbial contamination, not chemical,” the New Brunswick EMO said in a series of tweets on Tuesday.

Officials are also recommending against canning, preserving or dehydrating food which may have been contaminated.

Fiddleheads are a fern popular on the East Coast of Canada, especially in New Brunswick, and are often consumed after being boiled or sauteed.