How to Clean Produce

With produce coming to your kitchen from every corner of the world, chefs and cooks are becoming especially careful about handling vegetables and fruits. Salmonella, yeast and other bacteria from groundwater runoff can easily ruin fruits and vegetables. Quite possibly, we have all eaten, and maybe even served produce that needed a bath but didn't get one.

Last summer, three outbreaks of salmonella infections associated with the consumption of Roma tomatoes were reported in the United States and Canada. In one outbreak during June and July, at least 561 people became sick from eating the tomatoes. The infected fruit was traced to a packinghouse in Florida. These tomatoes could have easily ended up in the restaurant's salsa, sliced for sandwiches or part of spicy tuna ceviche.

Such outbreaks provide an important lesson for foodservice operators. The best preventive measures for restaurants is to know where their produce is grown, and the manner in which it is handled and packed. And even then, it should be washed before consumed.