Don't Get a raw deal from fresh produce

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2001

It's not enough to cook your hamburgers to a minimum 170 degrees; you have to handle and prepare the lettuce and tomato safely as well, says the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is reminding consumers that fresh produce is a source of food-borne illnesses, which can result in fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. For those with weakened immune systems, such infections can be life-threatening.

To reduce your risk, remember the following tips:

* Purchase fruits and vegetables that aren't bruised or damaged. If buying fresh-cut produce, be sure it's refrigerated or surrounded by ice.

* At home, chill fruits and vegetables promptly. Fresh produce should be refrigerated within two hours of peeling or cutting. Cut produce should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than two hours.

* Fresh, whole produce such as bananas, onions and potatoes should be kept at room temperature. Fruits such as tomatoes, apples, apricots, peaches, plums, avocados, melons, guavas and mangos can be kept at cool room temperature (60 to 70 degrees) until ripe, then refrigerated.

* Don't wash asparagus, mushrooms or berries before refrigerating. Washing heads of lettuce before storing will shorten shelf life from five days to three days. (Store lettuce away from other vegetables.) But spinach and similar greens should be washed and drained before storing in plastic bags. Also, wash and dry peppers and cucumbers.

* Most produce will keep for one to two weeks in the refrigerator. Exceptions include asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, corn in the husk, tomatoes, Bibb lettuce, berries and cut pineapple (two days); broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach and similar greens, apricots, peaches, pears, grapes and plums (three to five days); and apples (one month).

* Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling fresh produce or raw meat, as well as after using the bathroom or playing with pets.

* Wash fruits and vegetables with cool tap water immediately before eating. Don't use soap or detergents. Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush. Cut away any bruised or damaged areas before eating.

* Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and countertops with hot, soapy water after contact with fresh produce or raw meat. Sanitize after use with a solution of one teaspoon of chlorine beach in one quart of water.

* Use separate cutting boards and utensils when handling fresh produce and raw meat. Don't consume ice that has come in contact with raw products.

* Use a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs when transporting or storing perishable food outdoors, including cut produce.

* Avoid eating raw clover or alfalfa sprouts. Discard rhubarb leaves, which are poisonous.