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Storing Fruits and Veggies Safely

Institute of Child Nutrition

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June 16, 2026

Fresh Produce interior

When you handle and store fruits and vegetables correctly, they stay fresh and safe for the children in your care. Our partners at ICN have tips for cleaning and storing produce to help prevent waste and keep food safe.

Cleaning Produce

Before you prepare fresh fruits and vegetables:

  • Wash your hands with soap and water.
  • Rinse all produce under cool, running water— never soak it in a sink or container of water. This includes fruits and vegetables with peels or rinds you don’t eat, such as melons, squash, pineapples, and oranges, since bacteria on the outside can spread to the inside when you cut or peel them.
  • Use a clean produce brush on firm items, such as potatoes, cucumbers, and cantaloupe.
  • Do not use soap, bleach, or produce washes. Water alone is best.
  • Check for bruises, mold, or dirt. Cut away bad spots or discard the food item if it is completely unsafe.
  • Do not rewash packaged produce labeled “ready-to-eat,” “washed,” or “triple-washed.”

Pro Tip: Wash fruits and veggies before you use them, not before storing them. Pre-washing can make them spoil faster.

Where to Store Produce

Knowing where to keep fruits and vegetables helps them stay fresh longer. Here is a guide:

On the Counter

  • Keep bananas and tomatoes at room temperature.
  • Let avocados, mangoes, melons, peaches, plums, and pears ripen on the counter. Once ripe, move them to the fridge to stay fresh longer.
  • Put fruit in a paper bag with a ripe banana to ripen it faster and check daily.

In the Pantry

  • Store potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, and winter squash in a cool, dark, dry place like a pantry.
  • Keep onions separate from other produce—they release gas that can make other veggies spoil faster.

In the Fridge

  • Keep cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables in a covered container, labeled with the date the produce was prepped or cooked.
  • Refrigerate within four hours of cutting or cooking and store at 41 °F (5 °C) or colder.
  • Keep raw foods (like meat, poultry, or seafood) away from and below produce to prevent cross-contamination.
  • Store washed produce above unwashed or raw items.

Keep Fruits and Veggies Apart

Some fruits give off a natural gas called ethylene that can speed up ripening—and even spoil other produce faster.

  • Ethylene-producing fruits: oranges, pears, apples, peaches, berries
  • Ethylene-sensitive vegetables: cucumbers, asparagus, lettuce, broccoli, peppers, green beans

For best results, store ethylene-producing fruits away from ethylene-sensitive vegetables—preferably in separate fridge drawers. This helps produce last longer and reduces waste.

 

Read the Institute of Child Nutrition’s June 2026 Mealtime Memo.