Safe Handling and Storing of Raw Fruits and Vegetables

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.

There can be a risk of foodborne illness from the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables because they are eaten raw or minimally processed. Fresh produce frequently lacks a kill step (cooking, for example) to destroy pathogens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) estimates that 1 in 6 people are affected by foodborne illnesses annually in the U.S. When you purchase, prepare, store, and consume fresh fruits and vegetables, follow these best practices to protect yourself and others.

Best Practices for Handling Fruits and Vegetables

Following are guidelines and tips for purchasing, storing, and preparing fresh produce safely.

Purchasing Produce From a Grocery Store or Farmers Market

• Avoid buying fruits and vegetables that are bruised or damaged. These areas can be entry points for pathogens or provide moisture for pathogen growth.
• If purchasing precut produce (for example, cut leafy greens, diced tomatoes, etc.), select items that have been refrigerated or placed on ice at the grocery store or farmers market.
• Keep fresh fruits and vegetables separate from raw meat, seafood, and poultry products in the grocery cart and bags.
• After purchasing your food, go straight home. Perishable foods, such as fresh cut produce, raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs, should be refrigerated within four hours. However, when outside temperatures are 90 F or higher, foods should be refrigerated within one hour.

Tip: Keep a thermom- eter in the refrigerator to ensure that foods are kept below 41 degrees Fahrenheit.

Storing Produce

• Refrigerate perishable produce (such as strawberries, leafy greens, precut and ready-to-eat bagged produce, etc.) in a clean refrigerator at 41 F or below to maintain quality and safety.
• Discard produce if it has not been refrigerated within four hours after cutting, peeling, or cooking.
• Store raw produce on shelves or in bins above meats, poultry, and seafood to reduce the risk of cross- contamination from dripping juices.
• To maintain freshness and quality, place produce in perforated bags when refrigerating.
• Store produce that does not require refrigeration on a clean countertop or in a cupboard or pantry out of direct sunlight.
• Separate the produce that releases ethylene gas during ripening (such as apples, pears, bananas, and mangoes) from other produce to extend its shelf life by preventing premature spoilage. This can be done by placing it in a separate refrigerator bin.

Tip: Avoid rinsing pro- duce prior to storage. Water or moisture can speed up microbial spoilage.

Rinsing Produce

• Rinse produce with clean, running tap or distilled water immediately before use. (Do not wash prior to storing because this can add moisture that can increase microbial growth.) This will remove any dirt or residue and prevent its transfer into the product.
• A clean brush can be used to scrub produce that has a hard rind or firm exterior (for example, potatoes, carrots, and cantaloupes).
• Do not wash produce with soap, baking soda, or other cleaning solutions. Many fruits and vegetables are porous, and soap and cleaning solutions can be absorbed by the produce and expose consumers to harmful chemicals.
• Produce washes and baking soda have not been scientifically validated to be more effective than rinsing with clean water. In addition, these washes and baking soda rinses could affect the flavor of the produce.
• Rinsing packaged ready-to-eat and prewashed produce is unnecessary because re-rinsing (the addition of water/moisture) can provide opportunities for contamination. Check the package label to see if rinsing is required.
• To reduce some bacteria that could be present after rinsing, dry produce with a clean, disposable paper towel. Do not dry with kitchen towels or clothiuce.

Table 1. Recommended storage temperature and shelf life of common produce items. The storage times listed in this chart are helpful guidelines, not set rules.

Sources: Kader et al. (2012); McCurdy, Peutz, and Wittman (2009).
*Potatoes, onions, and garlic should be stored in a cool, well-ventilated location, such as a panton).

Preparing Produce

• Wash hands for 10-20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing produce.
• Designate a cutting board for preparing fresh produce that is separate from the one used for raw meat, poultry, and seafood (to prevent cross-contamination).
• Wash the cutting board with hot soapy water and rinse with clean water or place in a dishwasher for cleaning before use.
• Before cutting or peeling produce, utensils and countertops should be cleaned with hot, soapy water.
• Cut out bruised spots on produce before consumption. Cut the tops of celery and trim exterior areas of lettuce and other leafy vegetables that appear dirty. Spoiled produce should be discarded.
• Additional information on shelf life and storage recommendations for fresh fruits and vegetables can be found in “Food Storage Guidelines for Consumers” (Boyer and McKinney 2013), listed in the References section.

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is an essential component of a healthy diet; however, produce consumed raw or minimally processed can pose a food safety risk. Following best practices for handling and storing produce will help reduce the likelihood of foodborne illness.

Resources

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2009. Safe Handling of Raw Produce and Fresh-Squeezed Fruit and Vegetable Juices. http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/ files/26396.pdf.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2011. 7 Tips for Cleaning Fruits, Vegetables. Consumer Health Information. www.fda.gov/downloads/ForConsumers/ ConsumerUpdates/UCM256220.pdf.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2013. “Food Code 2013.” Report No. PB2013-110462. College Park, MD: HHS. www.fda.gov/Food/ GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/ ucm374275.htm.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Department of Health and Human Services. 2015 Raw Produce: Selecting and Serving It Safely. Food Facts. www.fda. gov/downloads/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/ UCM174142.pdf.

References

Boyer, R., and J. McKinney. 2013. Food Storage Guidelines for Consumers. Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication 348-960. http://pubs.ext. vt.edu/348/348-960/348-960_pdf..

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2014. “Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States.” www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/.

Kader, A., J. Thompson, K. Sylva, and L. Harris. 2012. Storing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Better Taste. University of California-Davis Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center. http://ucce.ucdavis. edu/files/datastore/234-1920.pdf.\

McCurdy, S., J. Peutz, and G. Wittman. 2009. Storing Food for Safety and Quality. Pacific Northwest Extension Publication PNW 612. University of Idaho. http:// extension.oregonstate.edu/fch/sites/default/files/ documents/pnw_612_storingfoodforsafetyquality.pdf.