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Safe Handling and Storing of Raw Fruits and Vegetables

ID

FST-234P

Authors as Published

Sara Beth Dodson, Graduate Student, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech; Renee R. Boyer, Associate Professor, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech; Melissa Chase, Consumer Food Safety Program Manager, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech; Joseph Eifert, Associate Professor, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech; Joell Eifert, Director of Food Innovation, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech; Laura Strawn, Assistant Professor, Food Science and Technology, Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center; Abigail Villalba, Extension Specialist, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center


This publication is available in an enhanced digital version and PDF.

Fruits and vegetables are essential for a healthy diet. Nutritious produce can be purchased at your local grocery store or farmers market, or even grown in
your backyard. While produce is usually safe, it can become contaminated throughout the farm-to-fork continuum with harmful microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, that can cause illness (pathogens). A foodborne illness, often referred to as “food poisoning,” can occur through consumption of contaminated foods.


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Publication Date

August 20, 2021