Here's what I don't understand about this advice (or a lot of the "wash your fruit and veg" advice). Just how effective is it (beyond aesthetic) to rinse your food in plain water?

Let's say you were unfortunate enough to buy some of that romaine that had e-coli. Does a water rinse remove the bacteria? I can't imagine that it does.

Color me confused. But then again, I'm one of those people who routinely eat tomatoes and citrus standing in my back yard, straight off the vine/tree. It's madness, people, madness!!