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Do You Really Need to Wash Fruits and Vegetables?

Do’s and don’ts of cleaning produce and other foods before eating or cooking


spinner image A woman's hands wash some fruit under the stream of water
lucigerma/Getty Images

From farm to table, the fruits, vegetables and other foods we eat come into contact with a lot — people, places, substances and surfaces — before they ever end up on our plates. So, it might seem obvious that everything we bring home from the grocery store needs a good wash to remove potential pathogens and pesticides from the field.

“Produce comes from the environment; it comes from the ground,” says Meredith Carothers, public affairs specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “You can have dirt on it, you can have bacteria on it. Unlike meat and poultry, which is packaged, a lot of times produce is just out in the grocery store on display.”

But from a food safety perspective, experts say not all foods need to be washed. In fact, rinsing some foods can increase the risk of contamination and cause illness. To help clear up any confusion, we asked Carothers to break down the do’s and don’ts of food washing.

Produce-Specific Tips

  • Firm fruits and veggies (apples, cucumbers): Wash well or peel to remove waxy preservatives.
  • Soft fruits (peaches, plums): Rinse under running water and dry with a paper towel.
  • Berries, grapes, cherries: Store unwashed, discard moldy pieces, and rinse gently under cool water before eating.
  • Mushrooms: Wipe with a damp paper towel or clean with a soft brush.
  • Leafy greens: Remove bruised outer leaves, rinse the rest, and soak briefly to loosen dirt.
  • Root vegetables (potatoes, carrots): Scrub under lukewarm water or peel.
  • Herbs: Dip and swish in cool water, then dry with a paper towel.
  • Hot peppers: Wash while wearing gloves to avoid skin irritation.
  • Melons: The netted surface of melons, like cantaloupe, can carry microorganisms that transfer to the fruit when cut. You can reduce the risk, but never eliminate it, by scrubbing the melon with a vegetable brush and rinse under running water before slicing.

Melons are particularly risky due to their pH level, which allows bacteria to grow quickly. Leaving cut melon out overnight can significantly increase pathogen growth. It's best to discard leftovers after serving and avoid pre-cut cantaloupe wrapped in plastic, as its freshness and safety can’t be guaranteed, according to food safety expert Darin Detwiler.

Source: USDA and Colorado State University

How to clean fruits and vegetables

Wash before eating. To slow bacterial growth, wash fruits and vegetables before eating. If you must wash them in advance, dry thoroughly with a paper towel.

Rinse fresh produce under running water. After harvest, fruits and vegetables pass through many hands and surfaces before reaching your grocery store. Before eating, remove any torn or bruised parts (where bacteria can thrive) and rinse under running water to remove any germs and dirt. Neither the FDA or CDC suggest using products such as vinegar or baking soda to clean produce.

Scrub firm produce. Foods like potatoes or apples can be scrubbed to thoroughly remove dirt from the exterior, including crevices that rinsing alone may not reach.

Dry produce properly. That means laying rinsed produce on a clean cloth or paper towel to avoid recontamination. If you use a salad spinner, make sure it’s clean before and between batches.

Don’t wash “prewashed” or “ready to eat” produce. These are already safe to eat out of the package. Just make sure that they don’t touch any unclean surfaces or utensils — especially if those surfaces have had raw meat or its juices on them.

Skip the soap. The USDA advises against the use of any type of detergent on fruits or vegetables because it can leave behind a film that is not intended to be consumed. Some produce is also porous and may absorb the soap. Although you can buy commercial produce washes, they aren’t approved or labeled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not recommended.

Don’t soak produce. Soaking may remove the germs initially, but the now-tainted water can recontaminate your produce as well as nearby surfaces. When produce is rinsed under running water, the dirt and germs go down the drain.

Store wisely.  Most produce lasts two to five days, but some items like apples, onions, potatoes and winter squash can last longer when stored at an appropriate temperature.

Safe minimum cooking temperatures

  • Ground beef, pork, veal, lamb: 160 degrees
  • Ground chicken, turkey: 165 degrees
  • Steaks, roasts, chops: 145 degrees
  • Poultry: 165 degrees
  • Fresh pork, ham: 145 degrees
  • Precooked ham: 165 degrees
  • Fish with fins: 145 degrees

Source: Foodsafety.gov

How to wash other foods

Don’t wash meat, poultry or seafood. Washing increases the risk for cross-contamination and doesn’t add any safety benefit. Although you may be rinsing some surface bacteria, you’ll never get it completely clean. In fact, any slosh or spray from washing meats, poultry or seafood can spread germs across your sink and countertops.

“A lot of people do it because it’s tradition; it’s what they grew up with,” says Carothers. “Really, the only way to make sure your meat and poultry products are safe to eat is to cook them to a safe internal temperature.”

Carothers says that anyone who still insists on washing their meats must fully sanitize their sink and other nearby surfaces afterward. Otherwise, germs can easily pass to other foods or to eating surfaces and raise the risk of foodborne illness.

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In an observational study conducted by the USDA, 60 percent of participants who washed their raw chicken had bacteria residue in their kitchen sink. Of those who attempted to clean or sanitize the sink afterward, 14 percent still had bacteria left behind.

Don’t wash store-bought eggs. Eggs processed commercially in the U.S. are already washed before they land on store shelves. Washing them again can lead to soap or contaminants seeping into the egg itself because the shell is permeable. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the washing of commercial eggs became a problem, Carothers says, because people were using sanitizing solutions on the shells.

However, you can wash farm-fresh eggs but only right before you’re ready to cook or refrigerate them. Farm-fresh eggs have a natural protective coating on them to keep bacteria out. If this coating is removed through  washing bacteria can get inside when stored outside the refrigerator.

Rinsing rice is optional. If you’ve been told that you need to rinse your rice before cooking, that isn’t necessarily for safety. Instead, it removes excess starch. But know, rinsing enriched rise may wash away added nutrients like iron and B vitamins. 

Food recalls

Many fruits and vegetables are associated with foodborne pathogens like listeria, salmonella and E. coli that can cause serious and sometimes fatal illness in people 65 and older and those with weakened immune systems. However, washing produce contaminated with foodborne pathogens does not always prevent exposure, and you may still get sick.

“We as consumers don’t have any way to totally know if we have washed every single piece of bacteria off that fruit or vegetable,” says Carothers. “That’s why if something is in the news for being contaminated ... it’s best to just completely avoid it.”

Review the latest recalls at aarp.org/recalls.​​

Editor's note: This story, originally published April 25, 2022, has been updated.

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