The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 recommend that you eat
fruit and vegetables everyday to help promote good health. As you
strive to meet your individual recommendation,
remember that proper handling and preparation can reduce the risk of
food contamination and foodborne illness.
To minimize your risk, keep these in mind when selecting and
preparing fruits and vegetables.
Carefully select fresh fruits and vegetables. When shopping, look
for produce that is not damaged or bruised and make sure that
pre-cut produce is refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
Rinse all fruits and vegetables before eating. This recommendation
also applies
to produce with rinds or skins that are not eaten. Rinse produce
just before preparing or eating to avoid premature spoilage. Follow
these simple steps:
- Clean all surfaces and utensils with soap and hot water,
including cutting boards, peelers, counter tops, and knives that
will touch fresh produce. Wash hands with soap and warm water for at
least 20 seconds before and after handling fresh fruits and
vegetables.
- Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables, including those with skins and
rinds that are not eaten, under clean running water and avoid using
detergents or bleach. Remove the outer leaves of leafy vegetables
such as lettuce and cabbage before washing. Produce with firm skin,
such as potatoes, may require rubbing with a vegetable brush while
rinsing under clean running water to remove all soil.
- Dry fruits and vegetables with a clean paper towel and prepare,
cook, or eat.
- Packaged produce labeled “ready to eat,” “pre-washed,” or “triple
washed” can be used without further washing.
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Keep produce separate from raw foods like meat, poultry, and
seafood, in your shopping cart, grocery bags and in your
refrigerator. Throw away any produce
that will not be cooked if it has touched raw meat, poultry, seafood
or eggs. Do not use the same cutting board without cleaning with hot
water and soap before and after preparing fresh fruits and
vegetables.
Refrigerate all cut, peeled, or cooked produce within 2 hours. After
a certain time, harmful bacteria may grow on produce and increase
the risk of foodborne illness.
Preventing food borne illness remains a major public health
challenge. Please check back for updates.
For more information on food safety, visit theses helpful Web sites:
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