Keeping Your Produce Safe

Buying

• If you go to a farmers market, go early to avoid produce that has been sitting out all day long
• Buy most produce in season when possible
• If you are not satisfied with the store's selection, ask the produce manager if there is more available
• Buy loose produce rather than packaged
  • You have more control over what you select
• Don't purchase produce with mold, bruises or cuts
• Buy only the amount of produce that you will use within a week
• Buy only pasteurized juices

Storing

• Promptly store produce that needs refrigeration
  • Fresh, whole produce such as bananas and potatoes don't need refrigeration
• Refrigerate fresh produce within two hours of peeling or cutting
  • Throw away leftover cut produce that is left at room temperature for more than two hours
• Discard cooked vegetables after 3 to 4 days

Preparing

• Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables with cool tap water immediately before eating
  • Scrub firm produce such as melons and cucumbers with a clean produce brush
• Remove and discard outer leaves of lettuce
• Use two separate cutting boards to avoid cross-contamination
  • Use one for raw meats and the other for fruits and vegetables
  • Color-coded cutting boards can help you remember which is which
• Cook raw sprouts (alfalfa, clover, etc.); it significantly reduces the risk of illness