FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Raw fruits and vegetables can become contaminated along the farm-to-table continuum. Produce used for salads - lettuce and spinach, for example - grow low to the ground, where they are likely to come in contact with contaminated fertilizers. Sometimes they’re irrigated with contaminated waters or picked by farm workers with poor hygiene practices.
The complex, multi-layered surfaces of salad produce are more difficult to clean after picking than produce with a smooth surface, such as apples or potatoes. Because fresh fruits and vegetables are usually eaten raw, they can pose a health risk if they’re not properly handled. Therefore, all produce needs to be thoroughly washed and safely prepared and handled before it is eaten.
Preparation
- Thoroughly rinse raw fruits and vegetables under running water before eating them. Don’t use soap, detergents, or bleach solutions.
- Thoroughly rinse fruits that require peeling or cutting - such as cantaloupe and other melons - under running water before eating them.
- If necessary - and appropriate - use a small vegetable brush to remove surface dirt.
- Try to cut away damaged or bruised areas - bacteria can thrive in these places.
Fruit and Vegetable Juices
- Children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems should only drink juices that have been pasteurized or otherwise treated to kill pathogenic bacteria.
- If you or someone in your family is in one of the at-risk groups and you cannot determine if a juice has been processed to destroy harmful bacteria, either don’t use the product or bring it to a boil to kill any harmful bacteria that may be present.
- Pasteurized juice can be found in the refrigerated sections of stores. Like milk, pasteurized juice must be refrigerated.
- Treated juice consists of shelf-stable juice normally found in non-refrigerated, shelf-stable containers, such as juice boxes, bottles, or cans. It is treated at a much higher temperature than pasteurized juice and is packaged in special airtight containers.
- Unpasteurized or Untreated Juice is normally found in the refrigerated sections of grocery, health-food stores, cider mills, or farm markets. Unpasteurized or untreated juice must have the following warning on the label: WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.