How to Disinfect Food

Properly cleaning your food before consumption greatly reduces the chances of catching a foodborne illness.

Food can become easily contaminated by harmful bacteria found in the soil in which it's grown or during preparation on a contaminated surface. According to the FDA, consuming contaminated food can "lead to foodborne illness, which can cause serious - and sometimes fatal - infection." Luckily, it's easy to disinfect food to protect yourself and your family from disease and infection.

Things You'll Need

• Produce brush
• Dish detergent or soap
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Paper towel or clean cloth towel

Instructions

1. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap or dish detergent under warm running water before handling produce. Pre-rinse fresh produce under cold running water for 20 seconds.

2. Cut away any bruised or damaged areas found on fresh produce on cutting board using a knife, and discard any rotten produce.

3. Wash fresh produce, even if you plan to peel it, using plain running water or distilled water. Scrub produce that has a thick or rough shell, such as a cucumber or melon, with a produce brush.

4. Rinse off all debris and loosened dirt. Completely dry the food with a paper towel or clean cloth towel.

5. Thoroughly wash all utensils, including the cutting board, after you have disinfected the produce. Use dish detergent and scrub under warm running water.

Tips & Warnings

• These steps apply more to disinfecting fresh produce; fish and meat products are disinfected with heat during the cooking process.

• Keep your kitchen counters, food storage spaces and cutting boards clean at all times by scrubbing them with a disinfectant to prevent contamination.

• Use separate cutting boards for fresh produce, cooked food and raw meat to avoid cross contamination.

• Food that is bought pre-cut and pre-washed is ready to eat and doesn't require disinfecting.

• If meat and produce are stored in the same location, there is a high chance of cross contamination. Store them in separate locations to avoid this.

• Refrigerate all pre-cut or peeled produce at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below to preserve quality and to avoid contamination.

References

• FDA: Produce Safety
• University of Maine: Best Ways to Wash Fruits and Vegetables
• MSDC: Cleaning and Disinfecting