Fruit and Vegetable Safety | Food Safety | CDC

Fruit and Vegetable Safety | Food Safety | CDC

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: Wash fruits and veggies under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking! https://go.usa.gov/xV3yV
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Fruit and Vegetable Safety

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Eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables provides important health benefits, but it’s important that you select and prepare them safely.

Fruits and vegetables add nutrients to your diet that help protect you from heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. In addition, choosing vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other produce over high-calorie foods can help you manage your weight.

But sometimes raw fruits and vegetables contain harmful germs, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, that can make you and your family sick. In the United States, nearly half of foodborne illnesses are caused by germs on fresh produce.

The safest produce is cooked; the next safest is washed. Enjoy uncooked fruits and vegetables while taking steps to avoid foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning.

At the store or market:

• Choose produce that isn’t bruised or damaged.
• Keep pre-cut fruits and vegetables cold by choosing produce that is refrigerated or kept on ice.
• Separate fruits and vegetables from raw meat, poultry, and seafood in your shopping cart and in your grocery bags.