Produce Precautions

It used to be that you just had to worry about convincing kids to eat the fruits and vegetables they need to grow healthy and strong. But recent outbreaks of E. coli and salmonella remind us of another concern — making sure fresh produce is safe to eat.

Even with the risk of food-borne illnesses, it's important for kids to eat fruits and vegetables every day to get vitamins and nutrients essential to staying healthy and developing well. Fruits like oranges, for example, provide vitamin C that helps heal cuts and wounds. Vegetables like broccoli contain dietary fiber, which can help keep cholesterol down and bowel movements regular.

The good news is that it's easy to make sure that the produce you buy and prepare is safe.

From the Store to Your Refrigerator

Regardless of the variety of produce you pick — whether it's bagged or loose, organic or traditionally grown — there's always going to be some chance, however small, that harmful bacteria may have gotten on the food. It can happen anywhere between the fields and your kitchen, during picking, transporting, or packaging the produce.

The safeguards you can take begin when you're selecting produce at the store. Be sure to inspect fruits and vegetables before you buy them, and avoid any with visible cuts or broken skin where bacteria could enter.

Also keep these things in mind:

With prepared produce, such as bagged salad, select only items that are stored on ice or refrigerated. Be sure to check the best-used-by date.
If your drive home is longer than an hour, consider bringing a cooler in the car to keep any pre-bagged and pre-cut produce fresh.
At the grocery store, separate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from produce and other foods in your shopping cart and grocery bags.

You've probably seen the term "Certified Organic" on USDA labels indicating that a product was grown or made without pesticides, synthetic ingredients, or bioengineering. However, bacterial contamination is possible whether the produce is certified organic or conventionally grown.

Refrigerating and Freezing

To safely store produce, make sure your refrigerator and freezer are cold enough to keep it fresh and prevent any bacteria in it from thriving. Keep your refrigerator set to 40° Fahrenheit (5° Celsius) and your freezer to 0° Fahrenheit (–18° Celsius) or lower. If they don't have thermostats, consider buying one for each.

How to Properly Prepare Produce

When you prepare fresh produce, take these steps to help ensure that it's safe to eat:

Wash your hands with warm water and soap for 10–15 seconds, especially after using the bathroom and before preparing or eating food.
Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood separate from produce and ready-to-eat foods.
Wash utensils and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after using them in food preparation.
Scrub all fruits and vegetables with plain water (even if you plan to peel them) to remove any pesticide residue or dirt that could contain bacteria.
Wash melons, particularly cantaloupes and watermelons, before eating to avoid carrying bacteria from the rind to the knife to the inside of the fruit.
Many types of bagged lettuce are pre-washed. The packaging will indicate if they are. Even though the produce has been washed before bagging, you still should wash it again right before you eat it.
Dry produce with a paper towel or clean towel to help reduce bacteria.
Discard the outer leaves of leafy greens, such as spinach or lettuce.
Refrigerate all cut and peeled produce.
Avoid using wooden cutting boards, which can harbor germs more than other kinds. Thoroughly wash any cutting board before use and after. Consider using separate boards for meat and produce.

Though there are commercial produce washes available, the FDA advises consumers not to use them. Washing your hands, the produce, and the surfaces in your kitchen should work just fine.

Rest assured that while fresh produce, meat, and fish do carry some contamination risk, with the proper precautions you can reduce that risk and enjoy them safely.

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: November 2007