Wash Produce Under Running Water

Running water is the method. Soap is not. Below is how FDA words buy, store, separate, and wash — plus where CDC’s cut-melon safer-choice line lives.

Buy and bag

Choose produce that is not bruised or damaged. When buying pre-cut, bagged, or packaged produce — half a watermelon, bagged salad greens — choose only items that are refrigerated or surrounded by ice. Bag fresh fruits and vegetables separately from raw meat, poultry, and seafood on the way home (FDA).

Store at 40°F

Store perishable fresh produce (FDA’s examples: strawberries, lettuce, herbs, mushrooms) in a clean refrigerator at 40°F or below. Refrigerate all produce purchased pre-cut or packaged. Check the fridge with a thermometer — see fridge temperature.

FDA’s produce page does not publish per-fruit fridge-day windows. Those durations are UNKNOWN here — we do not invent them.

Separate boards and clean hands

Wash hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after prep. Keep produce that will be eaten raw separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood — and from the utensils used for those products. Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood when you can. Plastic or other non-porous boards can go through the dishwasher after use (FDA).

How to wash

Cut away damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating. Discard produce that looks rotten. Wash all produce thoroughly under running water — not a soapy bowl — before preparing or eating, including homegrown and farmers’-market produce.

Do not use soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash. Produce is porous; soap and household detergents can be absorbed even after thorough rinsing and can make you sick. FDA also states that the safety of commercial produce-wash residues is not known and their effectiveness has not been tested.

Wash even if you plan to peel — dirt and bacteria can transfer from the surface when you cut.
Scrub firm produce such as melons and cucumbers with a clean produce brush.
Dry with a clean cloth towel or paper towel after washing.

Washing reduces bacteria that may be present; it does not eliminate it (FDA).

Pre-washed bags

Many pre-cut, bagged, or packaged items are labeled pre-washed and ready-to-eat. FDA says you can use those without a second wash. If you choose to re-wash, do not let the produce touch unclean surfaces or utensils.

Sprouts

FDA: people who are more vulnerable to foodborne illness — children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems — should avoid eating raw or lightly cooked sprouts of any kind (including onion, alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung bean). This is federal handling guidance, not medical advice. FDA does not publish sprout fridge-day windows on this page — those are UNKNOWN here.

Cut melon — CDC’s safer-choice line only

FDA’s produce page is silent on how many days cut melon keeps. That duration from FDA is UNKNOWN. CDC Safer Food Choices (Jan 31 2025) lists cut melon left out more than 2 hours (1 hour if hotter than 90°F) as a riskier choice, and freshly cut melon — or cut melon kept refrigerated for 7 or fewer days — as a safer choice. That 7-day line is CDC’s safer-choice wording only; it is not restated in The answer as if FDA said it. The out-on-the-table clock itself belongs to the picnic and buffet clock.

Sources

FDA: Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Produce Safely — FDA, 2026
CDC: Safer Food Choices — CDC, 2025
CDC: Four Steps to Food Safety — CDC, 2026

Wash produce under running water. Never soap.