Fruits and vegetables are familiar slices of the USDA food pyramid, and as most moms will tell you, you can't eat enough of the colorful, nutrient-packed goodies. But according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), raw fruits and vegetables can be a source of food-borne illnesses. While raw meat is a more likely source of contamination, produce might be grown under less-than-healthy conditions. Fertilizer, dust, fungi, and bacteria-from the soil or water where the item grows-can all reside on the skins and rinds of your produce; additionally, fruits and veggies can often enter our homes in a pesticide-laden and wax-coated state. But you can take steps to prevent illness. Knowing that your mom didn't intend for you to ingest these substances with your apple a day, here are the best practices for washing produce.

• You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by selecting organic produce. By law, fruits and vegetables labeled as being organic are grown with no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. If you buy organic, you should still wash your produce. Remember, many people may have handled your produce before you place it in the shopping cart.
• When it comes to fruits and vegetables, washing means rinsing under running water, which has an abrasive effect. The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) says there is no recommended temperature, since your kitchen water won't be hot enough to kill anything (in fact, hot water could damage your produce-think wilted lettuce). The PMA also does not recommend a standard length of time for rinsing your goods. Mushrooms and berries, for instance, should be rinsed for a shorter period, because they absorb more water. For something such as lettuce, which has crevices and layers, you'll want to rinse for a bit longer.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests not buying damaged or bruised produce. It also suggests making sure that bagged salad greens and any fresh-cut items (a half watermelon, pineapple chunks, etc.) are refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
• The Partnership for Food Safety Education recommends a thorough hand-washing prior to cleaning produce (you don't want to be a source of contamination, do you?). Naturally, all utensils you will be using, such as knives and cutting boards, should be clean, too.
• Wash produce right before you eat it (or use it), not right when you get home from the market. Washing right before eating removes dust or germs that may have accumulated on your food since you bought it (someone may have sneezed near those grapes). Note: Even if you plan to peel your fruit or veggies, you should still thoroughly wash them (bananas, citrus fruits, melons). Contaminants on the peel or rind could transfer to the flesh when cutting or peeling produce.
• Drinkable, running tap water is just fine as a cleanser; soaps and produce cleaners are not recommended (and in the case of bleach, cautioned against) by government agencies and the PMA, since it can be difficult to remove soapy residue, and your fruits and veggies could absorb these agents. The PMA also says you should not soak your produce, which creates a sort of bacterial bath.
• If your produce has any bruised or damaged areas, cut them off-bacteria can thrive there. The Environmental Protection Agency suggests discarding the outer leaves of leafy vegetables. If you're cutting stems off, do so after washing.
• Scrub firm fruit (melons, cucumbers) and root vegetables with a clean vegetable brush.
• Dry your items with a clean towel or paper towel. Keeping produce moist for too long can encourage mold growth.
• There is some debate about prewashed lettuce. The FDA suggests that bagged lettuce labeled as prewashed does not need to be rinsed. However, as an added precaution, you can wash the lettuce right before you use it. Prewashed or precut produce in open bags should always be rinsed before eating.

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