“Wash everything before you eat it” sounds like common sense, but food safety is more specific than that. Fresh produce generally should be rinsed. Raw meat and poultry should not. Pre-washed greens usually do not need another trip through the sink. And soap belongs on your hands and surfaces—not on your apple.
Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water
FDA guidance recommends washing fresh produce before preparing or eating it, including produce with skins or rinds you do not plan to eat. That matters because a knife can carry dirt and microbes from the outside surface into the edible part when you cut through it.
Firm produce such as melons and cucumbers can be scrubbed with a clean produce brush. Damaged or bruised areas should be cut away, and rotten produce should be discarded.
Plain running water is the recommendation
FDA does not recommend washing fruits and vegetables with soap, household detergent, bleach or commercial produce wash. Produce is porous, and cleaning products are not designed to be eaten. Washing can reduce surface contamination, but it does not sterilize food.
The sink can turn one contaminated item into a contaminated kitchen
FoodSafety.gov advises against washing meat, poultry, eggs or seafood because splashing can spread harmful germs to nearby counters, utensils and ready-to-eat food. The safety step for meat and poultry is proper cooking—not rinsing.
Read the package before repeating the process
If packaged produce is labeled “pre-washed” or “ready-to-eat,” federal guidance says it can be used without washing again. Rewashing is not automatically safer if the home sink, hands or utensils introduce new contamination.
Clean hands and surfaces do more work than ritual rinsing
Hands
Wash before and after food preparation and after handling raw animal products.
Cutting boards
Wash after raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs and keep ready-to-eat food separate.
Utensils
Do not move a raw-meat fork or plate straight onto cooked food.
Can lids
FDA guidance also recommends cleaning canned-goods lids before opening.
Wash according to the food—not according to habit
The useful rule is surprisingly short: rinse produce with water, do not soap it, do not wash raw meat or poultry, and keep hands and food-contact surfaces clean.