How To Properly Wash Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables gets contaminated through several ways before reaching the end-user. It can get contaminated by the soil , rain, air and pesticide. It can also get contaminated during harvesting and packaging. Washing produce properly can help eliminate harmful germs or bacteria and can help prevent food-borne illness.

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How to wash fruits and vegetables

• Before you begin washing your fruits and vegetables,  wash your hand with soap and water till its clean.

• Wash fruits and vegetables  under running water before preparing or eating, this includes produce grown at home or bought from a grocery store or farmer’s’ market. 
• Discard the outer leaves of cabbage and lettuce, but do not fail to wash the inner leaves.

• Avoid  Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or any chemical.

• Wash fruits and vegetables first before peeling the skin to avoid transferring dirt and bacteria from the surface into produce when peeling and cutting. 

• Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean brush.

• Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fresh fruits and vegetables before preparing or eating.

• After washing, dry produce with a clean cloth towel or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present on the surface.

Additional Tips:

1. Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
2. Store raw meat, poultry and seafood in a sealed container in refrigerator to prevent liquid from raw meat dripping into fresh produce.
3. Avoid using hot water when washing produce. Hot water will cause vegetables and fruit to shrivel, bruise or scald.
4. Store your fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator.
5. Throw away any produce that looks bad or rotten.
6. Submerging produce in water, helps spread bacteria. Running water is a safer option.
7. Cooking removes  99.999 percent. But if you are going to eat raw vegetables, give them a good wash first.